A Missouri grandma who had beaten cancer was shot dead in a seemingly random attack outside a Price Chopper supermarket on Memorial Day — allegedly by a crazed gunman who had previously threatened to kill his family.
Amy Coon, who was successful in her fight with a type of Hodgkin’s lymphoma, was allegedly killed by Allen Prince, 27, outside the store in Pleasant Hill, the Kansas City Star reported.
Coon, 45, was killed while Ayden, a 16-year-old supermarket staffer, was struck by gunfire while collecting carts.
Prince, who has since been charged with murder, was held at gunpoint by two armed men before he was found with a self-inflicted gunshot wound in the head. He was hospitalized and put under custody, Pleasant Hill Police Department said.
A bolt-action Winchester .243 caliber rifle was found next to Prince’s body.
Strasburg mom Coon, who was affectionately known as “Grammy” by her two grandchildren, was killed after beating cancer, according to her next-door neighbor Richard Dale.
“She fought cancer for about a year,” he told the Kansas City Star.
“She beat it. She was cancer free for about a year. About three or four months ago, it came back. She was going to treatment again.
“I talked to her off and on. She said, ‘It’s going fine. It’s going fine.’ She was prepared to beat it a second time.”
A family obituary didn’t specify the type of cancer Coon battled – but acknowledged she underwent treatment.
“Amy was the mother hen to everyone in her life. She cared deeply for her loved ones,” her family said
“Even through her years of cancer treatment, she showed up for her family and was the absolute best Grammy.
“Her love for older and simpler things in life allowed her to enjoy her crafts, home d.i.y. projects, and her garden.”
Family friend Courtney Thomas said Coon’s death was “completely unexpected and she will be missed by so many.”
The motive behind the attack is still being probed – but it has since emerged Prince was out on bond at the time of the shooting, KCTV reported.
“We’re still determining [if there] is there any connection? What’s the causation? And we’ll continue to investigate that,” Pleasant Hill Police Chief Tommy Wright said last Tuesday.
Prince had previously threatened to kill his family, according to court documents obtained by the outlet.
On Sept. 29 last year, Cass County cops were called to a home and Prince allegedly told one of his relatives he was going to “blow [her] head off.”
He was arrested and reportedly told cops he had a shotgun in his closet. Investigators discovered shells inside his home, according to the documents.
Prince was ordered not to possess any firearms before being released on bond.
Prince allegedly fired at Coon while she was near her car and she fell to the ground before shooting at the boy.
Two men held Prince at gunpoint before he shot himself in the head.
“I appreciate people like that being in our community,” Wright said, hailing the two men, as reported by KSHB.
“We think people should protect each other; this is a community that truly exists for each other, and these two men stepped forward to exist to prevent further violence,” the cop added.
Cops found three spent ammunition cases next to Prince’s body and there was a spent casing inside the rifle’s chamber.
Prince had another 20 rounds of ammunition on himself, according to cops.
He also tried to shoot another man, but missed, a witness told the Kansas City Star.
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