Man charged in Northland shooting allegedly killed 32-year-old after car collision: police
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A 50-year-old man has been charged in the Friday fatal shooting outside a store at the Vivion West Mall just north of Kansas City that left one man dead, according to the Platte County Sheriff’s Office.
Phillip J. Frazier, 50, was arrested and taken into custody shortly after the shooting. He has been charged with second degree murder and armed criminal action, said Erik Holland, a spokesman for the office.
“This type of incident impacts not just the friends and families of those involved but the whole community,” said Sheriff Mark Owen in a Saturday evening statement.
Riverside police responded to calls of shots fired at about 3:15 p.m. Friday in the 2400 block of Vivion Road in Northmoor, a small town in Kansas City’s Northland, according to a news release from the Platte County Sheriff’s Office.
An investigation revealed the 50-year-old’s vehicle allegedly struck the car of the shooting victim, Cody J. Steffen, 32, on Friday, according to the sheriff’s office.
Witnesses heard Steffen ask for Frazier’s insurance information following the collision, the office said.
Then, witnesses said, Frazier reached behind his back and pulled out a hand gun, which still had a holster on it.
He allegedly pointed the gun at Steffen, removed the holster and shot him from a few inches away, according to the sheriff’s office.
Frazier is alleged to have walked around Steffen and driven away after the shooting, according to a probable cause statement.
Steffen was declared dead by local authorities at the scene, the statement said.
Platte County Prosecutor Eric Zahnd said similar incidents where a person is killed due to a “minor fender bender” are occurring “far too frequently these days,” in a Saturday evening statement.
Frazier is being held without bail at the Platte County Detention Center.
This story was originally published June 4, 2023 at 1:02 AM.
