Kansas City paramedic fatally stabbed in the heart while transporting woman to hospital

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (TCN) — A firefighter paramedic is dead after a woman reportedly stabbed him in the heart in an ambulance while en route to a local hospital.

According to a statement from the city of Kansas City, firefighter paramedic Graham Hoffman, 29, was riding in the back of an ambulance while transporting a woman to the hospital following a “routine medical call from the police.” The passenger allegedly stabbed him in the chest, so his partner began a crew emergency before other firefighters and police officers arrived at the scene. Paramedics and fire crews “worked tirelessly” to keep Hoffman alive on the ride to North Kansas City Hospital and in the emergency room.

Hoffman was rushed to surgery, but he died from his wounds in the intensive care unit. The statement said the knife pierced his heart.

The fire department called him a “dedicated professional who loved serving his city” and said he was described as “compassionate, caring, loving, and a leader on and off the job by his fellow firefighters and academy classmates.”

Clay County Prosecutor Zachary Thompson spoke at a press conference Sunday evening and announced his office filed charges against the suspect, Shanetta Bossell, including first-degree murder, armed criminal action, third-degree assault, and resisting arrest. If convicted of murder, Bossell will be given a mandatory sentence of life in prison without parole. She could also face the death penalty.

Thompson said Bossell allegedly used a 4-inch folding knife in the attack.

Bossell was arrested on April 23 and kept in jail for 24 hours while the prosecutor’s office determined whether to file charges. They ultimately charged her with second-degree assault and resisting arrest, but she posted bond April 25.

Hoffman had been working with the Kansas City Fire Department since 2022.

Mayor Quinton Lucas said in a statement, “At just 29, Graham embodied Kansas City’s finest quality — selfless service for others. That he was taken from us while working to save lives makes this loss all the more painful.”

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