Suspect was also wanted by KC
A Kansas City man is charged with armed robbery of the Please Stop convenience store in Parkville.
Donell E. Walker, Jr., age 31, is in custody in the Platte County Jail. The charge alleges Walker forcibly stole cash from the store while threatening the clerk with what appeared to be a deadly weapon.
The store was actually robbed twice, authorities believe both times by Walker. The first incident occurred on Dec. 31 at 7:22 p.m., the second on Jan. 8 at about 7:30 p.m.
The store clerk told police on Dec. 31 he was working alone when a black male about six feet tall wearing all black entered the store and walked behind the counter. The clerk says the man produced a handgun and pointed it at him, demanding he give him all the money. The suspect then took money from both cash registers totaling about $1,500 and left on foot, according to the clerk.
Officers reviewed the store’s surveillance video and observed a black SUV enter the Please Stop parking lot and park near a gasoline pump, facing south. The driver never exited the vehicle. A black male walked from east to the west entered the parking lot and then the store. The video shows a black male approach the counter and point a “Glock style” handgun at the clerk. The suspect exited the store and ran directly to the black SUV that was parked at the gas pump, entering the front passenger side. The SUV drove away and traveled eastbound on River Park Drive.
At the Jan. 8 incident, police say the surveillance video determined the same black SUV was used as the suspect vehicle. A black male passenger exited the vehicle and robbed the store, authorities say.
A couple of hours after the Jan. 8 robbery, Riverside police notified Parkville police that police had towed a vehicle matching the suspect’s vehicle. The vehicle had been found abandoned in the roundabout of Argosy Casino Parkway and Horizons Parkway, and it appeared to have been involved in a crash.
About a week later the owner of the vehicle contacted the tow company saying that he was the owner of the vehicle. The owner told the tow company he had been involved in an accident on Jan. 8 and left the vehicle in Riverside.
On Feb. 19, the owner of the vehicle was arrested, after Parkville police and Kansas City police had determined they were working separate robberies involving the same suspect. The owner of the vehicle identified the person from the robbery photograph as being Walker, authorities say.
On March 5, Walker turned himself in to Kansas City police. He had two active person of interest orders, one from Parkville and one from Kansas City.
Walker told police the photograph of the suspect’s vehicle was that of his friend’s vehicle. According to police, Walker admitted he has ridden in the vehicle but told police the photographs of the suspect involved in the robberies were not of him. Police told Walker that the owner of the vehicle had identified Walker as the person in the photographs, but Walker continued to deny involvement in any of the robberies.
Walker remains in custody, being held on $50,000 cash-only bond. His next court appearance is set for March 16, at which time he is expected to request a bond reduction.