Gwendolyn Bass-Kemp.Photo: Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue
Florida police are still investigating what led to a murder-suicide last week that claimed the life of a grandmother who volunteered for her local fire department.
Gwendolyn Bass-Kemp, 71, was an employee with Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue, the department said ina memorialposted to social media.
“Even though she was small in stature, Gwen’s smile, laughter and personality filled a room as if she was a giant,” the fire department said, adding, “Gwen was a sister, mother and grandmother who was taken from her family and friends far too early.”
Police say they arrived at Bass-Kemp’s house on Thursday night to respond to a 911 call about gunshots. When they arrived, a man later identified as Richard McDonald barricaded himself in the house and then set it on fire. McDonald, 71, later came out of the house and then fatally shot himself, CBS News Miamireported.
The outlet reported Bass-Kemp’s son was the one who called police to the house, identifying McDonald as his mother’s boyfriend.
“I went to go visit my mom and I walked in on my mom’s boyfriend and he sat there . . . he pulled out a gun on me,” the son said in a 911 call, according to CBS Miami. “He is a military veteran. I know he has a license to carry.”
Gwendolyn Bass-Kemp.Facebook
Neighbors told the outlet they heard the gunshots echo through the neighborhood.
Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue responded to the fire. Bass-Kemp was a billing specialist for the department who worked there for 18 years.
Local NBC6reportedthat Bass-Kemp was well-known in the community and lived across the street from a park dedicated to her late father, Dr. James Bass, who was the first Black dentist in Fort Lauderdale.
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Investigators are still searching for what drove McDonald to kill Bass-Kemp and himself.
Antoine Jones, Bass-Kemp’s cousin, told CBS Miami the slain 70-year-old “was a good, loving mother.”
“She meant a lot to the family. She meant love. She was good people,” Jones said. “As a person, she was lovely. She was a good loving mother. I don’t feel good. I don’t believe this happened because she was such a good person. She was a damn good person. She would help you if she can.”
If you are experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at1-800-799-7233, or go tothehotline.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.
source: people.com
