Before Pleasant Hill shooting, suspect was labeled ‘a danger.’ See how he was released
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- Prince was released on his own recognizance after an early October bond review hearing.
- Judge Thomas Howell ordered no firearms, no harmful contact, and no law violations.
- Eight months later, Prince was charged with murder, two assaults, and three armed actions.
Eight months before he was accused of shooting two people at a Pleasant Hill Price Chopper, Allen Prince was released on his own recognizance in a felony harassment case after deputies warned in court records that they believed he was “a danger to himself and the public.”
“I am requesting a bond due to the Defendant’s actions on this day,” the probable cause statement said. “It is my opinion that the Defendant is a danger to himself and the public.”
Days later, in early October, Prince was released on his own recognizance.
Court records show Prince was released on his own recognizance after a bond review hearing where attorneys presented arguments to the court.
As part of the release, Cass County Circuit Judge Thomas Howell ordered Prince not to possess firearms, have harmful contact with others or violate any laws while awaiting trial on the felony harassment charge.
Missing from the bond conditions: Any positive steps required to manage the danger foreseen by the arresting officers, such as mental health treatment or any form of supervision.
Howell did not immediately return requests for comment. Cass County Prosecuting Attorney Ben Butler did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the bond hearing.
Eight months later, Prince now faces charges in a deadly shooting outside a Pleasant Hill grocery store.
Prince, 27, was charged Tuesday with first-degree murder, two counts of first-degree assault or attempted first-degree assault, and three counts of armed criminal action in connection with the shooting at Cosentino’s Price Chopper in Pleasant Hill.
Criminal defense attorney Ruth Russell, who is not involved in the case, said that the decision for the release is what any judge would have done at the time.
“He only had the information he had in front of him at the time. You can’t predict what someone’s going to do in the future,” Russell said. “You do your best with the information that is presented to you.”
Russell said that while she is not his attorney and doesn’t know the facts that were presented during the bond review hearing, but with this being the first time appearing with a felony charge, it often cues a judge to consider release.
Bond conditions and judicial discretion
Former Jackson County Judge John Torrence, who is now in private practice, said judges weighing bond decisions generally consider whether someone poses a danger to the community or is a flight risk while balancing the presumption of innocence.
“You start out with the assumption that people are entitled to be free while awaiting trial unless there’s reasons that should not be the case,” Torrence said.
Torrence declined to speak about the case due to lacking specifics, but did speak about the conditions in which judges set bonds more broadly.
Torrence said bond decisions are made case-by-case and depend heavily on the information presented to a judge at the time of the hearing, including probable cause statements, criminal history and arguments from prosecutors and defense attorneys.
“Judges are not always given an accurate or complete picture of a defendant’s background,” Torrence said. “There’s a lot of thought and consideration that goes into it, especially in cases involving violent offenses.”
Harassment arrest
Prince had been arrested in late September for felony harassment by Cass County Sheriff’s Deputies after he was said to have threatened his sister.
A family member told investigators Prince threatened to “blow” or “bash” her head off during an argument, according to the probable cause statement.
The family member and a witness, only identified as witness 1, told deputies they believed Prince’s mental state had deteriorated for years and said they feared he could harm himself or others, according to the probable cause statement. Court records said they were unaware of any formal diagnosis.
The witness also told deputies Prince would wake up in the early morning hours, shouting what investigators described in court documents as “nonsensical ideations” while banging on walls.
Prince was arrested and deputies found a 20-gauge shotgun loaded with three shells when they searched his room, according to the probable cause statement.
He had his bond revoked on Tuesday following the criminal charges in connection with the Price Chopper shooting, according to court records, and will be held in pretrial detention in that case until it is resolved.
Prince’s attorney in the case, Norman Napier, did not respond to requests for comment.
What we know about the shooting
Pleasant Hill Police Chief Tommy Wright identified the victim as Amy Coon of the Strasburg area, about six miles east of Pleasant Hill.
A 16-year-old store employee, who was not identified by law enforcement, was also shot and was taken to a hospital for treatment of his injuries. He was in stable condition on Tuesday.
According to court documents, Pleasant Hill police officers responded to the store after receiving a call reporting that shots had been fired in the parking lot.
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.
Prince had a gunshot wound to his head, which police later determined to be self-inflicted, according to court documents. One of the officers found a bolt-action Winchester .243 caliber rifle next to Prince.
According to court records, a sergeant reviewed surveillance video that showed Prince pulling into the parking lot around 4:27 p.m. About a minute later, Prince allegedly exited his vehicle with a rifle and fired a shot that struck the teen from behind as he walked away, court documents state.
The video shows Prince firing a second round and striking Coon, who appeared to be fleeing. A few seconds later, Prince turns the rifle on himself and fires a third shot. At approximately 4:30 p.m., a witness is observed entering the frame and providing aid. Officers arrived a minute later.
A witness told police Prince also fired at him while he was standing near his truck but missed.
Police found three spent casings next to Prince and one spent casing in the chamber of the rifle. Police also found 20 additional rounds of ammunition on Prince. The ammunition matched the make and caliber of the spent casings, according to court documents. Prince is in the custody of the Pleasant Hill Police Department while he is being treated at a hospital in Kansas City.
Police said Tuesday they had not yet identified a motive in the shooting, which marked Pleasant Hill’s first homicide investigation in roughly 20 years.
This story was originally published May 27, 2026 at 5:27 PM.
