Missouri – A 34-year-old man was taken into custody in Missouri after fleeing Kansas last week and is now awaiting an extradition hearing. The man, later identified as Luce, was arrested after he reportedly walked into a store in Missouri and told the employee he needed to turn himself in to authorities. Upon arrival, law enforcement officers made contact with him, and he reportedly admitted to shooting his parent and a family member. He is charged with two counts of premeditated first-degree murder in their deaths.
The investigation began when the man traveled from Kansas to Missouri after allegedly shooting his 63-year-old mother and 71-year-old family member at their home. The man (SEE PHOTO) then entered a store in Missouri and informed the employee that he needed to turn himself in. The employee, noticing blood on the man’s clothes, called 911. When officers responded, the man reportedly confessed to the shootings.
Kansas authorities then searched the victims’ home and found both unresponsive. The victims were later pronounced dead at the scene. Authorities later discovered that the man had shot both victims one day before his arrest. Investigators learned that the shooting occurred after the victims tried to force the man out of the house, local news outlet KMBC reported.
Earlier in the day of the murders, local authorities had responded to a 911 call from the man’s mother, who reported that her son had been acting aggressively toward her and her sister-in-law, prompting them to lock themselves in a room for safety. The family member informed officers that the man suffered from bipolar disorder and wanted him to leave the home. Two days before the fatal shooting, the man reportedly claimed his mother grabbed him by the neck and pushed him.
During an interview with investigators, the man reportedly stated that his mother and her sister-in-law had wanted him out of the house after the family member gave him a one-month deadline. Mental health officials had visited the home shortly before the incident to ask the man about firearms. He reportedly denied having any weapons, and a subsequent search of the house revealed no firearms.
