UPPER MARLBORO, Md. – In April 2016, Morningside firefighters forced their way into a Temple Hills home on an emergency medical call when the homeowner, Darrell Lumpkin, opened fire.
Nineteen-year-old volunteer firefighter Kevin Swain was critically injured, and has since recovered. His partner, 37-year-old John Ulmschneider of Califonia, Maryland, was killed.
On Friday, Lumpkin was given a 15-year sentence, with all but four suspended. He was only facing jail time for the gun he used, not for the life he took.
The sentencing was moved to a larger court room in Prince George’s County Circuit court because of the many friends, family and firefighters who showed up to support the fallen firefighter and his wife, Dawn.
Ulmschneider’s widow broke down in tears as she told the judge how difficult the death of her husband has been on her and their 22-month old daughter, Abigail.
She said she sees the “Skillet smile” in her daughter’s face, referring to Ulmschneider’s nickname.
“She will never get the opportunity to have her father by her side,” Ulmschneider told the judge.
Swain also spoke at the sentencing, recalling the shooting and telling the judge about the long-lasting impact the event has had on his life. He said what happened that day has left him angry, unable to sleep, and still in pain from the two bullets which remain in his body.
Swain also recalled guilt he felt while watching Ulmschneider’s funeral on a laptop in a hospital bed.
“I thought, ‘Why not me that day?’” he said.
Michael O’Brien, a firefighter who was at the scene that day and worked to save Ulmschneider’s life in the back of an ambulance, also testified.
“He changed the lives of all of us,” O’Brien said of Lumpkin.
Before the judge delivered his sentence, Lumpkin addressed the family and the court.
“I’m sorry for the family. I was sick at the time; I’m really sorry,” he told the court.
Lumpkin, 62, reports to prison May 16.
Before then, Lumpkin’s lawyer, Brian McDaniel, said he will ask the court to reconsider the sentence. McDaniel said his client was suffering a diabetic episode on the day of the shooting, which prompted the call to 911 for a welfare check by his brother, who was also wounded in the shooting.
McDaniel said he believes the loss of life, which Lumpkin was not charged for, may have influenced the judge’s decision.
“Mr. Lumpkin desired to shoot Mr. Ulmschneider about as much as he decided to shoot his own brother. That was not his intention, and the fact that his brother was shot, I think, reveals and is evidence of the fact that it was not his intention to cause any undue harm to anyone,” McDaniel said.
Lumpkin was indicted in Prince George’s County in July 2016 on six counts related to illegal possession of firearms. A grand jury reviewed the evidence in the case, Alsobrooks said, and declined to return an indictment for murder.
Lumpkin was previously convicted of assault in D.C. in 1985 and was therefore disqualified from owning weapons, State’s Attorney for Prince George’s County Angela Alsobrooks said. It is believed that Lumpkin bought the guns legally, but didn’t realize the law had changed since then to bar from having the weapons, Alsobrooks said.
In addition to the .380 semi-automatic handgun used in the shooting, police also recovered two other handguns — one .40-caliber gun and a .25-caliber gun — from Lumpkin’s home, Alsobrooks said.
Alsobrooks said she believed that the judge has done justice given the charges in the case, and she hopes the result brought a measure of healing to Ulmschneider’s wife and Swain.
“There really is no resolution that would be satisfying to anybody in this case; it was our worst nightmare,” Alsobrooks said.
“Nothing is gonna bring John back; the only thing we can do now is to support Dawn and Abagail and Kevin as they move on with their lives, said Prince George’s County Fire Chief Ben Barksdale.
Barksdale said what happened that day has firefighters approaching this situation differently – for one thing, firefighters will wait for the police if they don’t see or smell anything at a home. But they will force entry into the home if need be, he said.
Barksdale also said now that the case has concluded, the department can launch a safety investigation into the events of that day, which includes whether or not firefighters should be issued body armor.
WTOP’s Megan Cloherty contributed to this report.
