Updated / Friday, 30 Aug 2024 06:17
RTÉ News
Two teenage boys have been arrested by police in the United States investigating the fatal shooting of Irish man Shaun Brady.
Tributes have been paid to Mr Brady after he was shot dead in Kansas City yesterday, with the city’s Irish community saying it was “one of his greatest gifts to bring people together with his culinary creations”.
Mr Brady, 45, was originally from Co Tipperary but moved to the United States some years ago where he worked as a chef.
Police in Missouri identified him as the victim of a shooting yesterday evening, and have said two teenage boys are in custody pending further investigation.
This evening, Erin Gabert who sits on the board of directors for the Kansas City Irish Fest, said the organisation and the wider community were devastated by the loss of Mr Brady.
“We are reeling and heartbroken,” Ms Gabert told RTÉ News from Kansas City.
Mr Brady moved to the United States around ten years ago after meeting his American wife Kate, who was travelling around Ireland at the time.
The couple settled in Kansas City and have two young children.
“Shaun was a very popular member of the Irish community and he had an incredible gift of using his culinary skills to bring people together,” Ms Gabert said.
“He was an incredible person to say the least, he had an energy and joy and spirit about him that was hard to match. Shaun was an incredibly genrous person always, always offering to help where he could,” Ms Gabert said.
She said his outlook on life was to leave things better than how he found them.
Ms Gabert said the reaction from all of Kansas City, not just the Irish community, has been one of “shock, sadness, if not anger and frustration”.
Irish Fest is planning to honour Mr Brady’s memory over the weekend at the event, which will go ahead despite his death, in order to ‘”focus on the positive things that we loved about Shaun,” she said.
Earlier, the Kansas City Irish Fest Community said their “hearts are absolutely broken” following his death.
“His extraordinary culinary gifts and easy Irish charm made his table the favorite gathering place of Kansas City’s Irish community. He will be sorely missed,” they wrote on social media.
“Shaun was not only a large part of the Kansas City Irish Fest Family, his restaurant, Brady and Fox, was a place where many in the Irish community gathered.
“It was one of Shaun’s greatest gifts to bring people together with his culinary creations.”
In a statement to RTÉ News, police confirmed that officers responded to reports of a shooting at 5.18pm local time in the 63rd and Rockhill area.
”Upon arrival officers located an adult male victim in a back parking lot adjacent to several businesses,” said Sergeant Phil DiMartino of Kansas City Police.
Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas said he was “heartbroken” to learn of Mr Brady’s death.
He said: “I have met him, laughed with him, heard just a bit of his and his family’s story, and was inspired by the business and the community he was building in Kansas City.
“I grieve and express my sincerest condolences to his family and friends and to all who knew him.
“The victim was suffering from gunshot wounds and the officers began performing life saving measures.
“Emergency medical personnel responded and transported the victim to a local hospital, where he was subsequently pronounced deceased.”
Police are investigating the incident as a homicide.
A preliminary investigation by officers revealed that Mr Brady was taking out rubbish when he observed a number of people near a vehicle.
Kansas City police said an interaction occurred between the victim and those people that led to Mr Brady being shot.
Detectives are interviewing several witnesses and are reviewing any available surveillance footage. Crime scene personnel have processed the scene for physical evidence.
An appeal has been issued for any eyewitnesses.
Mr Brady was a well-known chef and member of the Irish ex-pat community in Kansas city. He was co-owner of Brady & Fox Restaurant & Lounge with fellow chef and friend Graham Farris.
Mr Brady was a regular contributor to local television station FOX4. He showcased Irish food to promote Irish Fest, an Irish-themed food festival where he performed live cooking demonstrations for the public.
The Kansas City Star newspaper has reported that Mr Brady is survived by his wife.
Tributes have been paid to Mr Brady on Facebook. His death was described by one person as “shocking and sad” while another said he was an “awesome man” and would be missed.
