KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A man is now charged with shooting and killing two men in a Sept. 29 Independence crime spree in which a third man was stabbed but survived.
Tyler Rizer, 28, of Blue Springs, is charged with two counts of second-degree murder, four counts of armed criminal action, three counts of assault, unlawful use of a weapon, stealing, leaving the scene of an accident and vehicle hijacking, according to court records.
The crime rampage began when a man gave Rizer a ride on westbound Interstate 70.
The driver told police the passenger (Rizer) threatened him in the vehicle.
The driver said he pulled over, stopped the car and tried to run away.
Rizer stabbed the driver and ran across a busy I-70, per a court document.
The document states Rizer approached two other men after the stabbing.
He had the knife behind his back, but two men told him to leave. Rizer ran off.
Independence police were alerted to an assault in the area of East 41st Terrace South and South Osage Road. Shortly after, they heard gunshots.
Several officers were sent to scenes in that area where they found Rizer attacked a woman and her two children, ages 3 and 5, according to a court document.
Additionally, two people were shot.
One of those shooting victims, Juavvion Bagsby, died a hero, his family told KSHB 41 reporter Alyssa Jackson.
Bagsby got a call from his wife to rush home because she and two of his children were being attacked.
Bagsby's mother, Allison Stiles, heard her son’s voice on the phone the entire time.
"He said, 'I'm getting to my family,' and that’s what he cared about," she said. "I mean, once it comes to them, there is no one in this world that can stop him from protecting them."
Kierra Turner, Bagsby's wife, told Jackson she never imagined this would be their last conversation.
"It’s still fresh," Turner said. "It was a traumatic experience, so I'm not comfortable describing what we went through."
Turner’s physical scars from the attack might be fading, but she said the trauma she and their boys experienced will last a lifetime.
"I know my husband is proud of me," she said. "I know he knows what I did and sees what I did and knows I did the right thing."
Even though he is not physically here, Stiles is left with a tangible reminder.
Turner wears a necklace in her husband's memory, gifted by her mother-in-law, Stiles.
"Anything I can hold close to my heart from my husband means a lot," she said.
The second shooting victim died after the initial charges were filed.
His name was not immediately available.
Rizer is back in Jackson County Court on Nov. 16 at 1:30 p.m.
He has arrests or convictions for multiple crimes, including robbery, burglary and assault on a law officer.
Rizer had several outstanding felony warrants when arrested for the rampage, according to the court document.
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If you have any information about a crime, you can contact your local police department directly. But if you want/need to remain anonymous, you should call the Greater Kansas City Crime Stoppers Tips Hotline at 816-474-TIPS (8477), submitting the tip online or through the free mobile app at P3Tips.com. Depending on your tip, the hotline could could offer you a cash reward.
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.
