Two teenagers have been arrested after an Irish chef living in the US was shot outside his business in Kansas City.
Local police said the two “juvenile male” suspects were taken into custody within an hour of the killing of Shaun Brady, originally from Nenagh, Co Tipperary, with the vehicle involved also recovered.
“Investigators will be working with prosecutors for them to determine applicable charges. The case remains ongoing,” Sgt Phil DiMartino of Kansas City Police Department said.
Mr Brady was the co-owner of Brady’s KC, a popular restaurant in the Brookside area of Kansas City, Missouri.
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He was killed after being shot outside his restaurant on Wednesday evening shortly before 5.20pm, following an armed confrontation.
In a statement to The Irish Times, Sgt DiMartino of Kansas City Police Department said the matter was being investigated as a homicide, a US legal term which encompasses both murder and manslaughter.
“Preliminary investigation revealed the victim was taking out trash when he observed multiple subjects by a vehicle,” the statement read.
“An interaction between the victim and subjects occurred that led to the victim being shot.”
Local media reports suggest that the group was attempting to steal the car, with Mr Brady intervening and subsequently being shot.
Shaun Brady: The murder that shocked an Irish community in the heart of America
Detectives are interviewing several witnesses and reviewing CCTV footage while crime scene personnel are processing the scene for physical evidence.
Kansas City police officers discovered Mr Brady unresponsive with multiple gunshot wounds on arrival and performed “life-saving measures”.
“Emergency medical personnel responded and transported the victim to a local hospital, where he was subsequently pronounced deceased,” Sgt DiMartino said.
There have been just more than 100 murders in Kansas City so far this year, while in 2023, some 182 people were killed, an all-time-high.
The prominent chef was heavily involved in the Irish-American community, particularly during the annual Kansas City Irish Fest which is due to begin on Friday.
The festival which coincides with Labour Day Weekend promotes and celebrates Irish culture.
Mr Brady made several TV appearances in the past to highlight the festival through cooking demonstrations.
His restaurant, Brady’s KC, specialises in authentic Irish cuisine.
“The Irish community is totally stunned. He was a beloved figure, a native of Ireland, just a generous do anything for anyone kind of guy, so, a lot of us again, stunned, praying, angry, wondering why,” Pat O’Neill, a long-time friend of Mr Brady, told the local television station FOX4.
After graduating from Technological University Dublin, then known as Dublin Institute of Technology, he met his wife from Kansas while she was travelling in Ireland and they married in 2005.
Mr Brady’s father ran a well-known pub in Nenagh called The Brady Carmel, formerly known as The Moon & Sixpence, in the Summerhill area. His family came from Ardcroney just outside Nenagh.
Tributes have since been posted on social media, with one labelling Mr Brady as a “wonderful friend, great father, husband and extraordinary and creative chef and baker.”
Others labelled his death as a “incredibly tragic” and “unbelievably sad”, adding that Mr Brady was a “pillar of the Irish community” in Kansas City.
His friend and fellow chef and Kansas city resident, Anita Moore, said that she was “devastated” at the passing.
Ms Moore first met him over seven years ago at a ranch were she works from time to time.
“They brought him out to do an Irish breakfast. It was the first time I had blood sausage and his amazing scones. We stayed connected since then,” she said.
“During Covid as he was closing down his restaurant he brought us everything he had in his cooler when we were feeding the community. He didn’t want any recognition he just wanted to help.”
In a statement, the board of directors of the Kansas City Irish Fest said on behalf of the local community “our hearts are absolutely broken to hear of the tragic loss of our dear friend and colleague Shaun Brady. 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. Shaun was the head chef and creator of the Kansas City Irish Breakfast, a joyful tradition following our Catholic Mass the Sunday of the festival weekend.”
A spokeswoman for the Department of Foreign Affairs said it is aware of the “tragic incident” and stands ready to provide consular assistance.
“As with all consular cases, the Department does not comment on the details of cases,” she said.
Tributes were also paid in Tipperary. Labour councillor in Nenagh Cllr Louise Morgan Walsh said that locals were ”shocked and saddened” to hear of the unlawful killing of Mr Brady.
“I remember Shaun from school. He was a really lovely guy. To think that his life has ended so tragically while he was trying to do good. This is so wrong.”
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