Suspect charged with second degree murder
A Kansas City man is accused of gunning down another man at a Riverside QuikTrip on Saturday, Oct. 9.
Daniel H. Kelati, 50, of Kansas City in Platte County, has been charged in Platte County with second degree murder and armed criminal action.
Platte County Prosecuting Attorney Eric Zahnd said the charges were filed the same day Kelati allegedly murdered Tariku Fite by shooting him in the head as Fite stood near a gas pump at the QT located on Gateway Drive in Riverside.
According to court documents, police were called to the QT just after 12:30 p.m. on Oct. 9. Officers found a man later identified as Fite lying near a gas pump with an apparent gunshot wound to the head.
Fite was pronounced dead at the scene by emergency personnel.
Court documents allege Kelati approached an officer at the scene and made statements apparently taking responsibility for Fite’s killing.
Kelati’s vehicle was later searched pursuant to a search warrant, and police found a handgun on the driver’s seat. Investigators also found a single spent bullet casing near where Fite was shot. Ammunition in the gun allegedly was a match to the spent casing.
A witness indicated that Kelati and Fite knew one another and had worked for the same trucking company.
Kelati is being held in the Platte County jail without bond. If convicted, he faces up to life in prison.
The case is being investigated by the Riverside Police Department. It is being prosecuted by assistant prosecuting attorneys Myles Perry and Collin VanOstran.
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