‘Senseless’: Family of man slain on Kansas City-bound Amtrak train calls for justice
The family of Richie Aaron — a father of three who was shot and killed aboard a Kansas City-bound Amtrak train earlier this year — said on Friday that Aaron was a compassionate man whose life ended violently and needlessly because of the shooter and also because of the failings of the railway provider to keep him safe.
“He was a hard-working man. He never bothered anybody,” Anthony Clark Sr.., father-in-law of Aaron, said during a press conference as he stood outside the Jackson County courthouse steps on Friday. “It’s just senseless. It’s senseless. Just pure, simple, senseless.”
Aaron, 30, of Independence, was killed on Jan. 14 while riding the Missouri River Runner train. He was shot before the train pulled into the Lee’s Summit station and was pronounced dead after the train got to its next stop in Independence.
Earlier this month, the family filed a $100 million lawsuit in federal court against Amtrak contending its train should have stopped after the shooting unfolded. The lawsuit also alleges the company has lax safety policies that invite an unsafe environment compared with other forms of commuter transportation, including air travel.
Aaron was a father of three children — ages 4, 8 and 12. Among those appearing before the news cameras was his widow, Breayonna Aaron, who declined to speak with reporters.
Nuru Witherspoon, the family’s attorney, said Friday that Aaron was shot as many as a seven times by a stranger on the train. He said the law firm’s independent investigation has found that Aaron was bleeding for as long as 35 minutes before first receiving medical attention despite pleas from other passengers to stop the train.
“We think that’s just totally unacceptable,” Witherspoon said, adding: “We want to hold Amtrak accountable. We want justice for this family. That’s what we’re asking for.”
An Amtrak spokesman said in an email to The Star on Friday that the lawsuit was being reviewed and the company’s response would be made in court. Under its policy, the federally-subsidized passenger-rail provider requires that passengers transporting firearms keep them unloaded and in locked containers with their checked luggage.
The man accused of shooting Aaron that day is 21-year-old Marquise Webb of Kansas City. Webb is charged with second-degree murder in Jackson County Circuit Court.
According to court records, investigators found that Webb fled the train after the train stopped in Lee’s Summit. He allegedly car-jacked a person at gunpoint near the train station and fled to Kansas City. He was arrested days later following a standoff with Kansas City police.
Webb is also named as a defendant in the family’s civil lawsuit.
