KSHB 41 reporter Ryan Gamboa covers Cass County in Missouri. He also covers agricultural topics. Share your story idea with Ryan.
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Days after a gunman opened fire in the parking lot of the Pleasant Hill Price Chopper, the community gathered for a vigil to honor 45-year-old Amy Coon, who was killed in the shooting.
27-year-old Allen Prince is charged in Coon's death. He also shot and injured 16-year-old Price Chopper employee Ayden who remains in stable condition at the hospital.
KSHB 41 Cass County Reporter Ryan Gamboa has been covering the story every step of the way.
"There's the phrase this hits too close to home, and I don't think there's anything better to describe this situation than that probably," Megen Horpinjuk, a Pleasant Hill resident, said.
The Pleasant Hill Price Chopper parking lot — the site of Monday's shooting — became a place to gather once again, filled with Pleasant Hill purple.
Bailey Hilton, who goes to school with Ayden, said the community's response reflects what Pleasant Hill is all about, even though she wasn't close friends with Ayden.
"We're all gonna be together for these people even if we didn't know 'em. This is how it is in Pleasant Hill," Hilton said.
Pastor Chris Pinion of LifeQuest Church spoke at the vigil, emphasizing the importance of community in difficult times.
"That's the message I'm gonna give tonight is that we don't live in isolation, we live in community," Pinion said.
Daniel Watters, a member of Midwest Rolling Thunder Motorcycle Club in Pleasant Hill, said the speed at which the community came together was a testament to how much neighbors care for one another.
"You see here, everybody's here. This is only a couple days," Watters said.
Police said the investigation remains ongoing, with no new information in the case.
The Pleasant Hill Police Department filed multiple charges against Prince, including one count of first-degree murder, two counts of assault, and three counts of armed criminal action.
Court records show that Prince was arrested last year after he threatened to shoot someone. Documents state there was concern about Prince's mental health, and records show that Prince admitted to possessing a shotgun at the time of his 2025 arrest.
During a press conference Tuesday, Pleasant Hill Police Chief Tommy Wright said he does not believe that prior incident is related to Monday's shooting.
"This is an isolated incident," Wright said on Tuesday during a press conference.
Two armed bystanders stepped in during the shooting to detain Prince, likely preventing others from getting hurt or killed, Chief Wright told members of the media on Tuesday. Prince then shot himself in the head and is recovering from a self-inflicted gunshot wound in the hospital.
"I applaud them," Wright said. "I appreciate people like that being in our community... We think people should protect each other; this is a community that truly exists for each other, and these two men stepped forward to exist to prevent further violence."
According to charging documents, police identified the gun as a Winchester .243 caliber rifle. Three spent casings were located next to Prince, and one spent casing was found in the chamber of the rifle. Police found an additional 20 rounds on Prince's person.
Police continue to search for a motive and any possible connection between Prince and the victims.
"We want to look at the totality of this," Wright said. "Is this something that was planned, is there something that the community could've seen, is this something the parents could've seen, is there anything that would've been indicative that this was going to happen yesterday, and we just haven't seen that."
Adding the community support, Press Monkey Studio, a local coffee and t-shirt shop in Pleasant Hill, will launch a t-shirt sale on Friday morning.
KSHB 41 Cass County Reporter Ryan Gamboa met with the shop’s owner on Wednesday, who designed a shirt to pay homage to the rural community and the strength of those who live in it.
“People do like to know this is where they're from, and this is our community. And when something like this happens, we do come together, and we do come together and help each other out,” Owner Brian Pilachowski said. “We don’t think these will last very long.”
The t-shirt sale will launch at 6:30 a.m on Friday at the coffee shop. A shirt will cost $28 and supplies are limited. All proceeds will benefit 16-year-old Ayden's recovery efforts.
Pilachowski offered funds to Amy Coon’s family, who died in the shooting, but he says they asked for that money to be given to Ayden.
“That just shows you the type of people we have in this community,” Pilachowski added.
The Country Crossroads Cares non-profit, launched in 2021 with the mission of providing care for people impacted by tragedy and major trauma, is also offering free counseling services to those who may be experiencing trauma from Monday’s shooting.
"Our rural communities don't see these kinds of things happen, and they go into shock more," Susie Arbo, the non-profit's founder, told Gamboa on Tuesday. "We want to be here for anyone struggling."
If you are experiencing challenges and are in need of mental health services, click here and fill out the form to sign up.
Horpinjuk said the community's response on Wednesday, and this week, speaks for itself.
"This just goes to show what kind of community it is," Horpinjuk said.
A GoFundMe has also been created to raise money for Ayden's recovery. Click here to donate.
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