TWO teenage boys were arrested within an hour of the killing of Tipperary man Shaun Brady on August 28 in Kansas City. Missouri police in the US were investigating the fatal shooting of the US-based chef, and quickly made the arrests.
Tributes have been paid to the Mr Brady, a chef, popular businessman, and key member of the closely-knit Irish community in Kansas City.
A spokesperson for the community told the Kansas City Star that Mr Brady possessed a gift of “bringing people together with his culinary creations".
Mr Brady, 45, from Nenagh, moved to the US some years ago. He co-owned the popular Brady & Fox Restaurant & Lounge, at 751 E. 63rd St., with fellow chef and friend Graham Farris
Police in Missouri said two teenage boys are in custody pending further investigation.
The Kansas City Irish Fest Community said their "hearts are absolutely broken" following his death. Mr Brady was a co-founder of the very popular Irish Fest Community celebratory breakfast. That has now been cancelled, although the festival will go ahead this weekend.
A member of the Irish community said that Shaun Brady’s death “will obviously cast a huge dark shadow over the event”.
On social media the Fest committee wrote: "Shaun’s extraordinary culinary gifts and easy Irish charm made his table the favourite gathering place of Kansas City’s Irish community. He will be sorely missed.
"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, police confirmed that officers responded to reports of a shooting at 5.18pm local time in the 63rd and Rockhill area of the city on August 28.
''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. "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 US legal term which encompasses both murder and manslaughter. The state of Missouri, in which Kansas City is located, still has the death penalty for murder. Two inmates have already been executed this year.
In a statement the Kansas City Police Department said preliminary investigation by officers revealed that Mr Brady was taking out rubbish when he noticed a number of people near a vehicle. Suspecting a robbery to be in progress, he approached them.
Kansas City Police confirmed that a confrontation occurred which ended up with Mr Brady being shot. He was rushed to hospital, but was subsequently pronounced dead.
Detectives are interviewing several witnesses and are reviewing any available surveillance footage. Crime scene personnel have isolated the scene while forensic tests are carried out.
The Kansas City Star newspaper has reported that Mr Brady is survived by his wife, Kate, a Wichita native, who met Mr Brady while she was travelling in Ireland
