A Maryland homeowner pleaded guilty to weapon possession on Friday after a 2016 incident where he allegedly shot two Prince George’s County firefighters, killing one.
Darrell Lumpkin pleaded guilty to a single felony count of weapon possession and faces up to 15 years in prison. Lumpkin was not allowed to have a weapon because of a previous felony charge on his criminal record from the 1980s.
On April 15, Lumpkin’s brother called for help, believing his brother was having a medical emergency for a diabetic crisis. Prince George’s County firefighters responded, and two firefighters, John Ulmschneider and Kevin Swain, forced their way into the home.
Police said Lumpkin believed his house was being broken into and fired in self-defense. Ulmschneider, 37, was killed, and Swain, 19, survived four gunshots.
"We understand, based on the prosecutor who responded to the scene that night, that it appeared that the homeowner was asleep" when the firefighters tried to get inside, and that he thought his home was being broken into, Angela Alsobrooks, state's attorney for Prince George's County, said in July after a grand jury indicted Lumpkin on gun charges.
Sentencing is set for March 31.
