Slain Firefighter Update

THE KILLER OF MAPLEWOOD, MISSOURI FIREFIGHTER RYAN HUMMERT has not yet been located.

Post-Dispatch photo

The police believe that the shooter died inside the burning house where he may have been holed up, but so far no remains have been found in the ashes.

The tragedy began around 5:45 am Monday morning when Hummert stepped out of the cab of his fire engine to attack a vehicle fire. The pickup truck was ablaze and as the FF’s began their operation, an unknown person opened fire on them from a house across the street and on the police officers that were also on the call. The one firefighter was killed and two police were wounded, one critically. Next, the house started burning and eventually burned down completely as the firefighters were not able to approach it. An elevated stream lobbed water onto it to protect the exposures until the fire was out several hours later.

KMOV

The owner-of-record for the house is Mark J. Knobbe, 52, who has lived there for 12 years. He is also the owner of the truck that was burned to set up the ambush.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports:

Julia McCreary, 80, was sleeping when she heard a firetruck outside her home on Zephyr. She looked out and saw a red, older model pickup on fire in her driveway. McCreary, mother of the St. Louis County police chaplain, said she then heard several pops, like a car backfiring. She went on her porch in her pajamas. McCreary said she saw a firefighter fall at the edge of her yard. Police screamed at her to go back inside.

Stephen Porter, 12, lives just a few houses away. He said he watched the scene play out until about 10 a.m., when officers evacuated him and his neighbors.

“I heard a boom, then I looked out my window,” Stephen said. “Cops were everywhere, and a firefighter was down in front of a firetruck.”

Read the latest report from the Post-Dispatch HERE.
The Associated Press has a video report:

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