What happened to Gwen Bass-Kemp? Fort Lauderdale fire rescue employee killed in apparent murder-suicide

71-year-old Gwen Bass-Kemp was fatally shot on Thursday, May 11, by Richard Kenneth McDonald, who then turned the gun on himself. It was further revealed by friends that Gwen was dating the suspected shooter, and they were living in the house on NW 27th Terrace in the Lake Aire neighborhood for years. Police, however, haven’t confirmed the nature of their relationship.

After authorities arrived at the scene, McDonald barricaded himself in the house and then shot himself dead. Police are yet to determine the motive behind the apparent murder-suicide. They also confirmed that no shots were fired by the responding officers.

Gwen Bass-Kemp’s son was the first one to call 911 for help. Police have further released the 911 call record between Gwen’s son and the dispatcher. He was heard saying that McDonald was a military veteran and possessed a firearm license.

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Gwen Bass-Kemp was a Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue employee for more than a decade

A tragic incident took place on Thursday in a residence in the city of Fort Lauderdale, where a house was set on fire. The suspect was identified as Richard Kenneth McDonald, who allegedly killed 71-year-old Gwen Bass-Kemp, set the house on fire, came out and then shot himself to death.

According to city officials, Gwen Bass-Kemp worked for 18 years as a Billing Specialist at Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue. She joined the city back in 2005, and she has been described as a “valued member” of the team for 18 years.

Speaking about the incident, Fort Lauderdale City Manager Greg Chavarria said:

“Gwen’s loss is tragic and unthinkable. She was a valued employee for nearly 20 years, and our colleagues are mourning her loss deeply. Our hearts go out to her family during this difficult time, and we ask that they be given the space and time to grieve.”

Authorities confirmed that they received a report of a shooting that took place near Sunrise Boulevard and Interstate 95 at around 8:30 pm local time. Upon arrival, they asked McDonald to come out of the house, but he refused and ended up setting the house on fire. Shortly after that, McDonald exited the house with a gun and shot himself.

Authorities released the 911 call record between Gwen’s son and the dispatchers. In the call, the son can be heard saying:

“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. He is a military veteran. I know he has a license to carry.”

Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue’s Steve Gollan detailed the incident, saying:

“Our fire crews were on standby at a safe distance to make sure that the first did not spread to any of the homes in the surrounding area. To make sure that it stayed confined to the home where the incident was taking place. Once the situation was determined to be safe, at that time our firefighters were able to make entry.”

Detective Ali Adamson confirmed that when they entered the house after McDonald killed himself, they found the body of Gwen Bass-Kemp. Police are yet to discover whether the two incidents are related, and also determined that it was an apparent murder-suicide.