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Gwen Bass-Kemp Wiki – Gwen Bass-Kemp Biography

A public servant is dead in Florida after what law enforcement believe is a murder-suicide that ended in a blazing inferno. Gwen Bass-Kemp, 71, worked as a billing specialist for the Fort Lauderdale Fire Department, authorities said. On Thursday, she was shot and killed by 71-year-old Richard Kenneth McDonald, who then shot and killed himself.

The victim and her alleged killer were a couple, friends told Miami-based ABC affiliate WPLG. They reportedly lived together for years at the home on NW 27th Terrace in the Lake Aire neighborhood of Fort Lauderdale. By Thursday night, that house had been burned to disrepair. A revealing 911 call came in around 8:30 p.m. that day.

Bass-Kemp’s son relayed the coming violence in the call issued by the Fort Lauderdale Police Department on Friday. “I went to visit my mom, and I ran into my mom’s boyfriend, and he sat there…he pulled a gun at me…like he was a military vet…I know he has a license to carry weapons or whatever,” says the victim’s son. “Shut up buddy!” you can hear the caller say at another point.” The only reason I’m leaving is because he pulled a gun on me!

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Gwen Bass-Kemp Age

The age of Gwen Bass-Kemp was 71 years.

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Gwen Bass-Kemp was killed by Richard Kenneth McDonald

When officers arrived, McDonald grabbed a gun, hid inside the residence and then set it on fire, police said. “The suspect, who barricaded himself, exited the house and shot himself in the front of the house,” FLPD spokesman Detective Ali Adamson told WPLG. “The adult female was inside the house.” At first, investigators weren’t sure if the two incidents were related.

“At this time, we are still working to determine if the shooting that we originally responded to was the woman who was found dead,” Adamson said. “We believe that is the case at this point, but we have to confirm that with the fire and the damage that the fire caused. It can make the investigation a little more complicated.” A joint investigation by the police and the public service agency for which the victim herself worked confirmed those suspicions.

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“Our fire crews were on standby at a safe distance to make sure the fire did not spread to any of the homes in the surrounding area,” Fort Lauderdale Fire Department spokesman Steve Gollan told CBS News. “To make sure that he remained confined to the house where the incident was taking place. Once the situation was determined to be safe, at that point our firefighters were able to enter.” When the teams were finally able to enter what was left of the house, Bass-Kemp’s body was found. They had shot him. According to city officials, Bass-Kemp served 18 years with the Fort Lauderdale Fire Department.

“The loss of Gwen is tragic and unthinkable,” Fort Lauderdale City Manager Greg Chavarria said in a statement. “She was a valued employee for nearly 20 years, and our colleagues deeply mourn the loss of her. Our hearts go out to her family during this difficult time, and we ask that they be given the space and time to grieve.” The victim’s family was shocked.

“She meant a lot to the family,” her cousin, Antoine Jones, said in a statement obtained by CBS News. “She wanted to say love. She was good people. As a person, she was charming. She was a good loving mother. I don’t feel well. I don’t think this happened because she was a good person. She was a damn good person. She would help you if she could. Bass-Kemp’s father, James Bass, is widely known as the first black dentist to establish a practice in Fort Lauderdale.

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The house where he died was located around the corner from Bass Park, a park the city named after his pioneer father.Read More……

 

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