Witness stayed by side of Raytown High School student until the end after shooting at gas station

RAYTOWN, Mo. — KSHB 41 reporter La’Nita Brooks covers stories in Kansas City, Missouri, and stories offering solutions on crime. Share your story idea with La’Nita.

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A Raytown High School student was shot and killed Wednesday afternoon at a Casey's gas station on Blue Ridge Boulevard.

Raytown police responded to the scene just after 1 p.m. for a juvenile male suffering from a gunshot wound. The teen was taken to a local hospital, where he died.

Lauren Schwentker/KSHB 41

The Raytown School District later confirmed the student was Joshua Lewis, 16.

Two male suspects are in police custody as the investigation continues.

Courtesy: Lewis's family

Elizabeth Baquedano was driving home from work when she noticed commotion at the gas station. She asked that her face not be shown.

Baquedano said she heard the shot and watched what unfolded.

Watch Baquedano describe the incident in the video player below.

"I heard a pop, which I recognized as a gunshot. And when I turned, one of the students had fallen," she said. "And I noticed that he fell, but I noticed that the other two that were with him ran. They got on bikes and they left."

She said she ran to help Lewis immediately.

"I pulled into the parking lot, and I got out and I ran to him," Baquedano said. "He was shot in the shoulder up here, and he was bleeding profusely."

Baquedano stayed with Lewis, applying pressure to his wound while trying to keep him conscious.

"I kept trying to wake him up. I kept telling him, 'Sweetie, please get up,'" she said. "I said, 'Don't worry, they're coming, help is on the way.'"

Brian Luton

Detectives spent the afternoon processing the scene, using a canine to search the area for evidence.

Pastor Michael Johnson, whose church is nearby, said he had left the property shortly before the shooting occurred. That morning, he said he felt a nudge to cancel his usual Bible study.

Brian Luton

"I had not long left the property. And so, I got a call that there was a shooting on the property," Johnson said. "It's two-fold. You know, I'm happy that we weren't here, but at the same time, my heart goes out to the young man that lost his life."

Around the corner at 59th and Hedges, a second police presence developed Wednesday afternoon. Officers were seen approaching a home with rifles drawn, and police appeared to remove evidence from the home along with two bicycles. It is unclear whether the activity at that location is connected to the shooting.

Baquedano said she wants Lewis' family to know he was not alone.

"I just hope that they know that he was prayed over, he was constantly reminded that he was loved and that I did everything I could to be there with him," she said.

The city of Raytown shared a prayer vigil is set for 7 p.m. Thursday at Raytown Christian Church, 6108 Blue Ridge Blvd.

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.

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