Kansas City man sentenced to prison in 2021 highway shooting, victim's car "riddled with bullet holes"
The victim testified she had to drive her car from the floorboard to avoid being wounded
The victim testified she had to drive her car from the floorboard to avoid being wounded
A Kansas City man has been sentenced to prison for his role in a 2021 interstate shooting that forced the victim to drive her car from the floorboard for fear of being wounded.
According to a news release from the Platte County Prosecutor's Office, Davion Gunion, 25, pleaded guilty to first-degree assault in the incident that took place in the early hours of January 10, 2021, on Interstate 635.
Court documents show the victim told police that she had been at a party in Jackson County and was on her way home when she noticed she was being followed by a red car. The woman said she stopped at a QuikTrip gas station to lose the driver, but the red car followed her into the parking lot along with a tow truck.
Authorities said the driver of the red car and the individuals in the tow truck accused her of stealing items at the party, and they brandished weapons, including an AK/AR-style assault rifle.
The woman told authorities she left the gas station and both vehicles followed her.
Riverside Police later obtained security footage from the QuikTrip confirming the woman's story about being followed and confronted.
The woman said she took off, attempting to lose the drivers who were following her. She told police as she was driving, an individual later identified as Gunion began shooting at her with the rifle on the roundabout near I-635 and Argosy Casino.
In court, the woman testified that she had to drive the car from the floorboard to avoid being shot. Photos of her vehicle show it with multiple bullet holes, with trajectory marks showing some of the bullets traveling through the back window of the car and into the driver's side headrest.
On Thursday, Gunion was sentenced to the maximum prison term of 15 years in this case.
Platte County Prosecuting Attorney Eric Zahnd said Missouri law mandates Gunion serve 85 percent of his 15-year sentence before being eligible for parole.
“It's troubling that shootings like this seem to be happening with much more frequency. Asking for, and receiving, the maximum possible sentence in this case will hopefully send a message that crimes like this will not be tolerated in Platte County,” Zahnd said.
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