MO town shocked by 1st homicide in about 20 years as gunfire erupts at grocery store
The last time a police chief in Pleasant Hill, Missouri, addressed questions about a homicide in the small Cass County town was some two decades ago.
But it’s where Chief Tommy Wright found himself Tuesday morning, after one person was shot and killed and two others injured Monday afternoon outside his town’s Price Chopper. Officers responded to the store just before 4:30 p.m. Monday after getting a call about a shooting in the parking lot.
“This is not an everyday occurrence in Pleasant Hill,” Wright said Tuesday, standing in front of a swarm of cameras and reporters. “In fact, it looks like it’s every 20 years or so.
“And we hope that we can even make that last a little longer this time”
Authorities identified the person killed Monday as Amy Coon, 45, of Johnson County, Missouri. Coon was a shopper at the store.
A 16-year-old store employee was also shot and was taken to a hospital for treatment of his injuries. Wright said the teen is in stable condition.
Allen T. Prince, of Pleasant Hill
The suspected shooter — Allen T. Prince, 27, of Pleasant Hill — is also hospitalized with what authorities said appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Prosecutors have charged Prince with murder and several other felonies related to the shooting.
Police on Tuesday said they had not yet identified a motive in the shooting.
The first two officers to arrive found the teen and Prince lying on the ground with gunshot wounds. The teen had a gunshot wound to the hip/abdomen area.
Soon after the first shots were fired, Wright said, “two gentlemen from the Pleasant Hill area, who were armed, had the courage to approach this suspect, who then turned the gun on himself.”
“I applaud them,” Wright said. “I appreciate people like that being in our community. “
“This is a community that truly exists for each other,” Wright said, “and these two men stepped forward to exist to prevent further violence.”
While talking to the media on Monday, reassured his community that Pleasant Hill was a safe place to live. And during Tuesday’s news conference, the chief repeatedly said the shooting was an isolated incident.
“Look, there’s no, there’s no community in the United States or the world that is completely free of crime and is completely safe from these kinds of incidents,” he said. “The people that live in Pleasant Hill are good people, they’re solid people that care deeply about each other in their community.
“So this is a very, very isolated incident.”
The Star’s Robert A. Cronkleton and Nathan Pilling contributed.
This story was originally published May 26, 2026 at 12:04 PM.
