Updated: Listed by the USFA on 28 April 2025.
Firefighter/Medic Graham Hoffman was stabbed in the chest by a patient he was transporting to a local hospital. Immediately after the stabbing, additional personnel from the Kansas City Missouri Fire and Police Departments were dispatched to the scene.
Kansas City Missouri Fire Department crews worked to save Firefighter/Medic Hoffman’s life while they transported him to North Kansas City Hospital. Lifesaving efforts continued in the hospital emergency room before Firefighter/Medic Hoffman was moved into surgery. Despite all these lifesaving efforts, Firefighter/Medic Hoffman passed away from the injuries he sustained. The patient who stabbed Firefighter/Medic Hoffman was taken into custody.
Age: 29
Rank: Firefighter/Medic
Classification: Career
Incident date: Apr. 27, 2025
Date of death: Apr. 27, 2025
Cause of fatal injury: Assault
Nature of fatal injury: Violence
Activity type: EMS/Patient Care
Emergency duty: Yes
Duty type: On-Scene Non-Fire
Fixed property use: Street/Road
The number of on-duty deaths for 2025 is currently 27.
Go here to read the number of interior line of duty deaths for 2025.
Fatality status is provisional and may change as USFA contacts State Fire Marshals to verify fatality incident information.
For more information about on-duty deaths as recorded by the United States Fire Administration go to “Firefighter Fatalities in the United States.”
Earlier:
By Bill Carey
28 April 2025
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A Kansas City firefighter/paramedic was fatally stabbed early Sunday morning while transporting a patient to the hospital, leading to murder charges against the suspect, KMBC reported.
Graham Hoffman, 29, was critically injured around 1:25 a.m. on 27 April while transporting a patient, later identified as 39-year-old Shanetta Bossell, to Saint Luke’s Hospital. The incident occurred after police responded to reports of a woman walking on the shoulder of Missouri 152 Highway near North Oak Trafficway. Officers found Bossell with a laceration on her finger and called for EMS assistance, KSHB reported. During transport to the hospital, Bossell allegedly stabbed Hoffman in the chest.
Despite immediate medical efforts, Hoffman succumbed to his injuries at North Kansas City Hospital. He had served with the Kansas City Fire Department since 2022 and was known for his dedication and leadership.
Bossell has been charged in Clay County Court with first-degree murder, armed criminal action, third-degree assault, and resisting arrest. Her bond is set at $1 million.
The most recent time a firefighter died due to violence in the line of duty was on 18 February 2024 when Burnsville, Minn. Firefighter/Paramedic Adam Finseth was fatally shot while on the scene of a domestic disturbance.
Photograph is courtesy of the Kansas City, Missouri Fire Department/Facebook.
Data Not Drama 