It was a mundane Saturday afternoon in a suburban supermarket parking lot that instantly morphed into a scene of sheer terror—and unexpected heroism.
Local authorities are crediting two armed everyday citizens with halting a deadly rampage after a gunman opened fire outside a Price Chopper grocery store, leaving one woman dead and a community reeling.
According to newly released court documents, Allen Thomas Prince now faces charges of first-degree murder, alongside multiple counts of armed criminal action and assault, following the May 25 tragedy in Pleasant Hill. But police officials openly acknowledge that the casualty count could have been far worse had two bystanders not refused to remain victims.
Seconds of Chaos
The horror unfolded in a flash of violence detailed by a Pleasant Hill police sergeant in a probable cause statement.
A witness, who had pulled into the Price Chopper lot just to grab a few groceries, was sitting in his vehicle on a phone call when he watched Prince reach into a car and pull out a rifle. Before anyone could comprehend what was happening, Prince aimed and fired. A woman standing next to her vehicle collapsed to the ground, mortally wounded.
What followed was a terrifying hunt. The witness recounted how Prince began “scanning the parking lot” for his next target. He locked eyes on a juvenile employee who was simply doing his job, pushing shopping carts through the lot, and fired a second round.
As the witness tried to maneuver his vehicle to flee the immediate line of fire, he noticed something else: another man in the parking lot was actively moving toward the active shooter, armed only with a pistol.
Inspired to act, the witness grabbed his own firearm from his truck. Working together, the two armed citizens converged on Prince, holding him at gunpoint and freezing him in his tracks until the sirens arrived.
A Community Defends Its Own
The weapon used in the assault was later identified by investigators as a .243 Winchester bolt-action rifle.
While the Pleasant Hill Police Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment regarding the ongoing investigation, Police Chief Tommy Wright did not hold back his admiration for the two men who drew their weapons to save strangers.
“I applaud them,” Chief Wright told local station KSHB 41. “I appreciate people like that being in our community… We think people should protect each other; this is a community that truly exists for each other, and these two men stepped forward… to prevent further violence.”
A Familiar Name to Law Enforcement
As the town grapples with the shock of the shooting, public records reveal a frustrating backstory: this was not Prince’s first brush with gun violence.
Just months prior, in October 2025, Prince was hit with a felony charge for allegedly threatening to shoot someone. During that previous investigation, law enforcement officers recovered a 20-gauge shotgun from his bedroom. Despite the severe nature of the charges and the weapon seizure, court records show Prince was released on his own recognizance—a decision that will undoubtedly face intense scrutiny in the wake of the Price Chopper tragedy.
Prince remains in custody as the legal process moves forward.