On Sunday, April 27, 2025, Kansas City paramedic Graham Hoffman was fatally stabbed while transporting a patient to the hospital. He was 29 years old.
What makes this tragedy even harder to understand is that the woman charged with his murder, Shanetta Bossell, had been released from jail just two days earlier—despite a violent encounter with law enforcement that had clearly raised red flags.
Say his name: Graham Hoffman (25)
Kansas City FD paramedic. KiIIed in the ambulance by Shanetta Bossell WHILE ATTEMPTING TO HELP HER.
She literally bit a cop last week.
BUT WAS RELEASED ANYWAY. pic.twitter.com/LrkXZqu59s— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) April 28, 2025
Now, many in the Kansas City community—and across the country—are asking a painful but necessary question: Could this have been prevented?
Shortly after 1 a.m., Hoffman and his partner were transporting Bossell to the hospital for a finger injury.
According to reports, during the ride, Hoffman yelled for her to sit down, then called out that she had a knife.
He was stabbed in the chest, the wound piercing his heart.
Despite his partner’s quick response and the efforts of doctors at North Kansas City Hospital, Hoffman died later that day.
KCFD Fire Chief Ross Grundyson called him “one of the best,” and said the department and the community are grieving a life lost in service.
Bossell, 38, is now charged with first-degree murder, armed criminal action, assault, and resisting arrest.
But this wasn’t her first run-in with the law.
On April 23—just four days before the stabbing—Bossell allegedly tried to break into a car and assaulted an off-duty police officer who attempted to stop her. She reportedly bit the officer several times and tried to grab a knife from his vest.
She was charged with felony assault and resisting arrest.
The prosecutor labeled her “a danger to the public” and requested a warrant for her arrest.
But despite those warnings, the court set her bond at $10,000. She posted it on April 25 and was released.
That decision is now at the center of a growing debate about public safety and judicial discretion.
Clay County Prosecutor Zach Thompson said his office did everything it could—filing felony charges and requesting appropriate safeguards. But it was ultimately up to the judge to set the bond.
The judge in this case, Louis Angles, has come under criticism for setting a bond that some say didn’t reflect the seriousness of the charges or the risk to the public.
There’s no way to say for certain what might have happened if Bossell hadn’t been released, but it’s hard to ignore the timeline.
Just two days after she was freed, a young paramedic lost his life.
Hoffman was described as a dedicated professional—someone who took the safety and well-being of his community seriously.
He had been with the Kansas City Fire Department since 2022 and previously served with the Belton Fire Department.
Mayor Quinton Lucas called Hoffman’s death “devastating” and pledged to review city safety protocols for first responders.
This heartbreaking event is part of a larger conversation happening across the country.
How do we balance compassion for those struggling with serious issues—mental health, addiction, poverty—with the responsibility to keep our communities and first responders safe?
There’s no easy answer.
But many believe the justice system must do more to prevent repeat offenders with violent histories from returning to the streets without proper safeguards in place.
The data backs up those concerns.
While U.S.-specific reoffending rates vary, studies from the U.K. show that roughly 20–30% of people released from custody reoffend within a year.
That statistic doesn’t capture the full picture, but it does point to a challenge that courts, lawmakers, and law enforcement must take seriously.
Bossell is currently being held on $1 million bond and faces a preliminary hearing in June. Her case will work its way through the court system.
For the Hoffman family—and for his colleagues at the Kansas City Fire Department—the loss is personal and painful.
We need to start taking a serious look at how our justice system makes decisions about who gets released, and under what conditions.
This article was written with the assistance of AI. Please verify information and consult additional sources as needed.
