Tipperary chef shot in Kansas City

Shaun Brady.
Picture from Facebook.

News
August 29, 2024
by Irish Echo Staff

The owner of an Irish restaurant in Kansas City, Missouri was shot outside his restaurant.

Shaun Brady, originally from Nenagh in County Tipperary, is believed to have died after encountering a group of men outside his restaurant in the town’s Brookside area.

The shooting was reported in all major Irish news outlets.

Locally, the Kansas City Star reported that police officers responded to reports of a shooting at East 63rd Street and Rockhill Road around 5:18 p.m. Wednesday, according to Kansas City Police Department spokesman Sergeant Phil DiMartino.

Upon arrival, the report states, officers found the victim unresponsive with multiple gunshot wounds. The victim was transported to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

According to the Star account, Brady owned and operated Brady & Fox Restaurant & Lounge with chef and friend Graham Farris.

“The beloved chef was both a father and a prominent figure in the Kansas City Irish community. He is survived by his wife, Kate, a Wichita native who met Brady while traveling in Ireland.”

Brady, the Star report added, was taking out trash from one of the adjacent businesses when he encountered several people standing around a parked car, according to Sergeant DiMartino.

Local media say the men Brady met were trying to steal a car.

The shooting occurred as the interaction between the man and the group of suspects escalated. The shooting was witnessed by several people and was caught on surveillance cameras from nearby businesses. Police continued to investigate the scene of the shooting Wednesday night.

“Early Thursday, police confirmed that Brady was the victim killed in the shooting. Brady & Fox is set to open in the spring of 2022 in East Brookside, after more than a decade of culinary collaboration between Brady and Farris, the Star report added.

“The pair previously ran Brady’s Public House, an Irish restaurant on Troost Avenue, which closed during the COVID-19 pandemic. The chef grew up in County Tipperary, Ireland, and was one of the youngest graduates of the Dublin Institute of Technology after falling in love with Dublin’s restaurant scene.

“Brady worked in kitchens in Europe and Asia before starting a culinary career in Chicago. When he moved to Kansas City to become executive chef at the Ambassador Hotel, Farris became first an apprentice, then a partner.

“Heavily involved in the Kansas City Irish community, Brady has also been a vocal participant in the Kansas City Irish Fest, bringing live cooking demonstrations to the festival stage.”