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1 dead in Friday night Amtrak train shooting

Amtrak Acela
Posted at 6:36 AM, Jan 15, 2022
and last updated 2022-01-15 16:54:01-05

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — One person was killed in a shooting aboard an Amtrak train Friday night in Lee's Summit, Missouri.

Emergency crews were called to the Amtrak Station for a gunshot victim around 9:15 p.m. Friday in the 1100 block of West Pacific in Independence, Missouri.

Upon arrival to the scene, officers learned the victim was shot aboard the train while it was stopped at the 3rd and Main Lee's Summit station, the train then traveled north to Independence with the victim on board.

The victim — identified as Richie T. Aaron Jr., 30, of Independence — was treated after the train stopped in Independence and was pronounced dead at the scene.

Investigators are working to establish a timeline of the events that led up to the shooting.

Initial investigation has revealed the train car in which the shooting took place did not contain a large number of passengers. Any passengers who heard gunshots did not recognize Aaron Jr., according to a Lee's Summit Police Department news release.

The suspect was also a passenger aboard the train and fled while in Lee's Summit.

For jurisdictions that utilize the Greater Kansas City Crime Stoppers Tips Hotline, anonymous tips can be made by calling 816-474-TIPS (8477), submitting the tip online or through the free mobile app at P3Tips.com.

Annual homicide details and data for the Kansas City area are available through the KSHB 41 News Homicide Tracker, which was launched in 2015. Read the KSHB 41 News Mug Shot Policy.