A man from Missouri is facing first-degree murder charges after allegedly shooting a CVS employee, who was living with his former partner, eight times. The suspect, 29-year-old Antonio Serrano, reportedly told the police that he could have inflicted more harm, including on the responding officers, but chose not to.
The incident occurred on a Thursday afternoon in a CVS store in North Kansas City, resulting in the death of 42-year-old Rusty Donovan, a CVS employee. Court records reveal that Serrano fired nearly a dozen bullets at Donovan, who was behind the store counter at the time of the attack.
According to reports, Serrano’s former partner also works at the same CVS store but was not present during the incident. Surveillance footage and police reports indicate that Serrano initially pointed his gun at a female employee before turning his weapon on Donovan. He reportedly continued to shoot at Donovan even after he fell to the ground.
Following the shooting, Serrano allegedly asked another employee to call 911, expressing his intention to surrender to the police. Upon their arrival, he reportedly told the officers that he could have shot them if he had wanted to, and that he could have harmed more people but chose not to. He also considered fleeing the scene but decided against it.
Serr expressed remorse for his actions, stating that he “probably deserves life in prison” for the shooting. He also claimed that he did not understand why the act.
Police records show that Serrano had visited the same CVS store a week prior to the shooting and had a confrontation with another employee, which resulted in the police being called. It remains unclear whether this employee was his former partner. Serrano has a history of arrests and was convicted of resisting arrest in 2019.
Clay County Prosecutor Zach Thompson commended the North Kansas City Police Department for their swift and ongoing investigation, which led to the charges being filed. He expressed his prayers for all those affected by the “shocking and brutal act of violence.”
CVS has offered counseling and support services to all store colleagues to help them cope with the tragic incident.