Shopper killed, teen employee injured in grocery store shooting near Kansas City

A woman was killed and a teenage employee was injured in a shooting at a grocery store near Kansas City, Missouri, according to police. The suspect was taken into custody after suffering an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.

The shooting happened at about 4:30 p.m. on Monday at the Price Chopper on Highway 7 in Pleasant Hill, a city southeast of Kansas City, according to Pleasant Hill Police Chief Tommy Wright.

Officers arrived and found three people with gunshot wounds, including a 45-year-old woman who died at the scene. Wright said the woman was a shopper and was from Johnson County, Missouri.

A 17-year-old male employee was also shot and taken to a local hospital. Wright said the teen is stable.

The suspect, a 27-year-old man from the area, was also found with a gunshot wound and taken into custody before being transported to a hospital. Police believe the wound was self-inflicted.

Chief Wright said a bolt-action rifle was recovered at the scene. He said investigators believe the suspect was in the parking lot before the shooting, based on witness statements and video.

Police had not determined a motive. Asked whether the suspect and victims were related, Wright said it was early in the investigation. “We don’t think that’s the case, but we don’t know for sure,” Wright said.

The suspect’s injuries were described as serious, but his condition was not immediately known. Police did not release his name or the names of the victims.

“It is a very sad day here for us in Pleasant Hill,” Wright said. “This is not something that happens in Pleasant Hill.”

Wright said Pleasant Hill had not had a homicide since the mid-2000s.

The Cass County Sheriff’s Office and Missouri State Highway Patrol are assisting in the investigation.