Missouri Grocery Store Shooting Leaves Grandmother Dead, 16-Year-Old Worker Injured

A 45-year-old grandmother from Strasburg, Missouri, was shot and killed on May 25 at Cosentino’s Price Chopper supermarket in Pleasant Hill. Amy Coon, a graduate of Pleasant Hill High School, is being remembered as a “loving mother, grandmother, sister, daughter, and friend.”

“Her passing has left an immeasurable void in the lives of her family and loved ones, who are now mourning a life marked by deep personal connections and strong community ties,” loved ones said on FindAGrave.com.

A 16-year-old boy, Ayden, was also shot twice while retrieving carts from the parking lot and is being treated in the intensive care unit at Children’s Mercy Hospital in Gillham Road. According to his GoFundMe page, he is stable, but his recovery is expected to be long and challenging.

According to reports, Ayden worked at the grocery store, which was his first job. “He just started working there in March. I’m hoping that it’s not going to traumatize him from wanting to go back to work,” his mother told Kansas City-based CBS affiliate KCTV.

Authorities charged Allen Prince, 27, with first-degree murder, three counts of armed criminal action and two counts of first-degree assault in connection with the case.

Prince remains in custody without bond and is receiving treatment in the ICU at a local hospital, according to the Cass County Prosecutor’s Office.

At about 4:28 p.m. on May 25, Pleasant Hill emergency personnel responded to reports of gunfire at the supermarket located at 2101 N. State Route 7 Highway.

Investigators said two armed individuals in the parking lot attempted to intervene during the incident. The situation then escalated further, and the suspect turned the firearm on himself.

According to The Kansas City Star, Ayden suffered gunshot wounds to his hip and abdomen. Investigators later determined Prince had a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. A bolt-action Winchester .243-caliber rifle was found next to him.

Coon was shot while standing beside her vehicle in the parking lot.

“The Pleasant Hill Police Department continues to investigate the incident and the circumstances surrounding it. Additional information will be released as it becomes available,” said Nici Wilson, Assistant City Administrator for the City of Pleasant Hill.

Ayden’s parents, Jaime and Steven, are raising five children, three of whom still live at home. Recently, Jaime lost her job, and Steven is temporarily out of work while recovering from back surgery.

“With Ayden's medical needs and the family’s current situation, they are facing an extreme financial hardship. The costs of medical care, daily travel to the hospital, and essential bills like rent and utilities are overwhelming for them right now,” the family’s GoFundMe page said.

Fox affiliate WDAF reported that Prince was due in court in Cass County on June 3 for a hearing over a harassment charge filed against him in September 2025.

In that case, a family member alleges Prince told her: “If she doesn’t shut up, he will blow her f— head off.” She also claimed the defendant often wakes in the middle of the night “yelling non-sensible ideations [and] banging on the walls,” court records show.

Prince was released from custody in October 2025.