Two teenagers were arrested after an Irish chef living in the US was shot outside his shop in Kansas City.

Local police said the two suspected minors were taken into custody within an hour of the killing of Shaun Brady, originally from Nenagh in County Tipperary, and the vehicle involved was also seized.

“Investigators will work with prosecutors to determine appropriate charges. The case is ongoing,” said Sergeant Phil DiMartino of the Kansas City Police Department.

Mr. Brady was co-owner of Brady’s KC, a popular restaurant in the Brookside neighborhood of Kansas City, Missouri.

He was shot on Wednesday evening shortly before 5:20 p.m. following an armed confrontation in front of his restaurant.

In a statement to the Irish Times, Sergeant DiMartino of the Kansas City Police Department said the case was being investigated as a homicide, a US legal term that includes both murder and manslaughter.

“Preliminary investigation revealed that the victim was taking out trash when he noticed several people near a vehicle,” the statement said.

“There was an interaction between the victim and the perpetrators, which resulted in the victim being shot.”

According to local media reports, the group attempted to steal the car, but Mr Brady intervened and was subsequently shot.

Shaun Brady: The murder that shocked an Irish community in the heart of America

Detectives are interviewing several witnesses and reviewing video surveillance footage while forensic investigators are searching the crime scene for evidence.

Upon arrival, Kansas City Police officers found Mr. Brady unconscious and suffering from multiple gunshot wounds and subsequently administered “life-saving measures.”

“Emergency medical personnel responded and transported the victim to a local hospital where he was subsequently pronounced deceased,” said Sergeant DiMartino.

There have been just over 100 murders in Kansas City so far this year, while around 182 people will be killed in 2023 – a historic high.

The well-known chef has been heavily involved in the Irish-American community, particularly during the annual Kansas City Irish Fest, which begins Friday.

The festival, which coincides with Labor Day weekend, promotes and celebrates Irish culture.

Mr Brady has appeared on television several times in the past to promote the festival with cooking demonstrations.

His restaurant, Brady’s KC, specializes in authentic Irish cuisine.

“The Irish community is completely stunned. He was a popular figure, a native Irishman, a generous guy who did anything for anyone. So a lot of us are again stunned, praying, angry and wondering why,” Pat O’Neill, a longtime friend of Mr Brady, told local television station FOX4.

After graduating from the Technological University Dublin, then known as the Dublin Institute of Technology, he met his wife from Kansas while traveling through Ireland and they married in 2005.

Mr Brady’s father ran a well-known pub in Nenagh in the Summerhill area called The Brady Carmel, formerly known as The Moon & Sixpence. His family came from Ardcroney, just outside Nenagh.

Since then, tributes have been posted on social media, with one calling Mr Brady a “wonderful friend, amazing father, husband and exceptional and creative chef and baker.”

Others called his death “incredibly tragic” and “incredibly sad,” adding that Mr Brady was a “pillar of the Irish community” in Kansas City.

“Shaun Brady was an icon and a fixture in Kansas City for his Irish cuisine. The Irish Festival would never be the same without him,” one post said.

A friend described his death as the result of “senseless gun violence” and said he was “a beacon of joy and laughter and an excellent cook.”

In a statement, the Kansas City Irish Fest board of directors said on behalf of the local community: “Our hearts are deeply broken to hear of the tragic loss of our dear friend and colleague Shaun Brady. Not only was Shaun an important part of the Kansas City Irish Fest family, his restaurant Brady and Fox was a place where many members of the Irish community gathered.

“One of Shaun’s greatest gifts was bringing people together with his culinary creations. Shaun was the head chef and creator of the Kansas City Irish Breakfast, a joyful tradition after our Catholic Mass on the Sunday of the festival weekend.”

A Foreign Ministry spokeswoman said they were aware of the “tragic incident” and stood ready to provide consular assistance.

“As with all consular cases, the ministry does not comment on the details of the cases,” she said.