KSHB 41 reporter Ryan Gamboa covers Cass County in Missouri. He also covers agricultural topics. Ryan is deeply connected in Cass County and has been sharing the voices of neighbors in the county for the past two years. If you would like to share your voice or have a story idea, please reach out. Share your story idea with Ryan.
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Allen Prince, 27, of Pleasant Hill, is charged in the death of 45-year-old Amy Coon of Strasburg, Missouri, in the parking lot of the Pleasant Hill Price Chopper.
A 16-year-old Price Chopper employee was also shot and injured, and is in stable condition at the hospital.
The Pleasant Hill Police Department announced multiple charges were filed against Prince on Tuesday morning, 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.
"I'm going to bash/blow your head off," a victim's statement recalled in a court document.
Documents state that there was concern about Prince's mental health, and many in the household at the time were fearful of him. Records show that Prince admitted to possessing a shotgun at the time of his 2025 arrest.
During a Tuesday morning press conference, I asked Police Chief Tommy Wright about Prince's prior incidents with law enforcement.
Wright explained that he does not believe that incident is related to Monday's shooting.
"This is an isolated incident," Wright said.
Right now, police are searching for a motive and what drove Prince to open fire on Monday afternoon.
On Monday, a witness told me that he saw the entire incident play out. He even stated that he and another man pulled out their sidearms to detain Prince. The man did not want to be interviewed on camera.
Wright confirmed on Tuesday that two bystanders stepped into action, likely preventing others from getting hurt or killed.
Prince then shot himself in the head and is recovering from a self-inflicted gunshot wound in the hospital, according to police and charging documents. The two men began rendering aid to the injured.
"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, which is a common hunting-style rifle. Court records indicate that Prince shot at another person while he was by his truck, and the round missed him.
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 of the rifle Prince possessed on his person, and continue to search for the motive and any possible connection between Prince and the victims.
"We want to look at the totality of this," Wright explained. "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."
When I arrived on scene Monday, there were plenty of people standing around the Price Chopper parking lot.
Country Crossroads Cares, a non-profit with an office in Pleasant Hill, is offering free therapy services to anyone involved or who may have witnessed the incident.
"Whether you were involved, were there, saw it, or a family member or a friend, we’re here to help for that," Katie Nash, a licensed clinical social worker with Country Crossroads Counseling, LLC, said. "Even if we don’t have the answers for someone, that’s okay. I think it’s important to be honest with them that I don’t have the answer right now for you, but it's okay, and I can sit with you and be with you. Sometimes just having that person be with you is really important."
The Country Crossroads Cares non-profit launched in 2021, with the mission of providing care for people impacted by tragedy and major trauma.
People can get free counseling sessions, and the non-profit's founder, Susie Arbo, told me on the phone that they've already had several people sign up.
If you are experiencing challenges and are in need of mental health services, click here and fill out the form to sign up.
"Our rural communities don't see these kinds of things happen, and they go into shock more," Arbo said. "We want to be here for anyone struggling."
The investigation in Pleasant Hill remains ongoing, and I intend to follow up with updates.
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