A Kansas City man was sentenced to the maximum term of fifteen years in prison on August 27 for shooting at the driver of another vehicle near Interstate 635 in Kansas City suburg of Riverside, according to the Platte County Attorney's office.
On June 23, Davion Gunion pleaded guilty to the class B felony of assault in the first degree.
Platte County Prosecuting Attorney Eric Zahnd said, “By the grace of God, the victim in this case was unharmed. Her vehicle was riddled with bullet holes, and it is a miracle she was not hit by any of that gunfire. She somehow drove her car while ducked down on the floorboard.”
According to court documents and the facts elicited during Gunion’s guilty plea, the evidence showed that on January 10, 2021 around 2:15 am, the Riverside Police Department received a 911 call about one vehicle shooting at another while following it.
Riverside officers searched the general area and did not find any vehicles in the area. Minutes later, KCPD officers found the vehicle near 9200 NW Prairie View Drive and Interstate 29.
The female driver was very shaken, and the car was peppered with bullet holes. The victim told officers that she had earlier been at a party in Jackson County and was coming home when she noticed she was being followed by a red car. She stopped at a Quik-Trip in an effort to lose her pursuer, but the red car followed her into the Quik-Trip parking lot and a tow-truck showed up as well.
The driver of the red car and the occupants of the tow-truck accused her of stealing items at the party. The occupants of the tow-truck, including Gunion, brandished weapons including an AK/AR-style assault rifle.
The victim left Quik-Trip, and both vehicles pursued her. Riverside police obtained video surveillance from Quik-Trip which confirmed the victim’s story about being followed and confronted by the driver of the red car, Gunion, and the other occupants of the tow-truck.The victim attempted to evade her pursuers, and Gunion began shooting at her with the AK/AR style assault-rifle on a roundabout near Interstate I-635 and the Argosy Casino. With the assistance of an ATF K-9, Law enforcement officers located the area of shooting near the casino. Several rifleshell casings were found on the road.
During the sentencing hearing, the victim testified about her horrific ordeal. She said she had to drive the car from the floorboard. Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Kaylee Haight introduced photographs of the bullet-riddled car with trajectory rods that showed the path of the bullets striking the rear of the car and traveling through the driver's side and the driver’s side headrest.
“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 added.
Missouri law mandates that Gunion serve 85 percent of his fifteen-year sentence before becoming eligible for parole..
The case was investigated by the Riverside Police Department, the Kansas City Police Department, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. It was prosecuted by Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Kaylee Haight.