KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A 20-year old Blue Springs man has been charged with murder in a shooting Tuesday at a QuikTrip in Independence.
The Jackson County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office charged Anthony Pasquale with second-degree murder and armed criminal action in the shooting death of Xavier Plotner.
Pasquale allegedly confronted Plotner at a gas pump shortly before 8 p.m. on Tuesday at the convenience store on the southwest corner of U.S. 24 near the interchange with Missouri 291, according to court documents.
Pasquale was at a gas pump when Plotner arrived in a separate vehicle. He then retrieved something from his vehicle before heading toward Plotner’s vehicle.
After Pasquale walked over to the other vehicle, Plotner emerged from his vehicle and started throwing punches at Pasquale, who then pulled a gun and pointed it at Plotner, according to police after a review of surveillance video.
After being shot in the chest, Plotner “is seen running frantically towards the store” and collapsed outside the entrance to the store. He was pronounced dead by arriving emergency medical personnel, according to court records.
Police identified Pasquale as a suspect based on the gas pump’s transaction history and a review of surveillance video, which tied him to the vehicle.
The vehicle was located later Tuesday evening, but Pasquale was no longer behind the wheel.
The driver was taken into custody for questioning.
A person of interest in the case, identified only as Pasquale’s cousin, later told officers that Pasquale arrived at his house panicked, with tears in his eyes, and asking for a change of clothes.
His cousin arrived at the residence in a separate car after Pasquale called to explain what happened at the QuikTrip, according to an Independence police probable cause statement.
A cousin agreed to drive Pasquale’s vehicle to his girlfriend’s house in Grain Valley with another family member following in a separate vehicle, which included Pasquale as a passenger.
The second vehicle also was pulled over Tuesday night, but the patrol officer was not able to reach a supervisor to confirm whether the driver or Pasquale were wanted in connection with the homicide. Both were released and continued on to Pasquale’s girlfriend’s residence.
Based on the interview with his cousin, police recovered Pasquale’s clothes, which matched those worn by the shooter in the QuikTrip surveillance video, at the cousin’s house after a search.
During an interview with police, Pasquale’s girlfriend said she called him as he was getting pulled over Tuesday night, admitting that he shot Plotner and saying he was going to jail.
She said that Plotner bragged to Pasquale about stomping on a friend named Jaden’s head who “was killed in Blue Springs a little while back” and said Plotner had threatened to kill Pasquale, according to a probable cause statement.
The girlfriend urged Pasquale to turn himself in, which he did Wednesday accompanied by his father and an attorney after a warrant was issued for his arrest.
Prosecutors have requested a $150,000 bond.
—
For jurisdictions that utilize the Greater Kansas City Crime Stoppers Tips Hotline, anonymous tips can be made by calling 816-474-TIPS (8477), submitting the tip online or through the free mobile app at P3Tips.com.
Annual homicide details and data for the Kansas City area are available through the 41 Action News Homicide Tracker, which was launched in 2015. Read the 41 Action News Mug Shot Policy.
