Eighteen-year-old Xavier Plonter was fatally shot on March 16, 2021, at a QuikTrip gas station near U.S. 24 Highway and Route 291 in Independence, Missouri. Surveillance footage and witness accounts show an encounter at the pumps escalated from a verbal exchange to a physical fight after Plonter exited his vehicle. During the confrontation, 20-year-old Anthony Pasquale of Blue Springs produced a firearm and shot Plonter in the chest. Plonter ran toward the store entrance seeking help but collapsed and was pronounced dead shortly after emergency crews arrived.

Pasquale fled the scene but was identified from surveillance and witness statements and surrendered to Independence police the next day. The Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office charged him with second-degree murder and armed criminal action. Authorities believe the shooting stemmed from an ongoing dispute between the two men. Does anyone have additional information about the dispute or was in the area that night?