A Kansas City man who shot and killed his former co-worker and friend was found guilty on Tuesday, June 9, following a two-day trial in Platte County Circuit Court. Daniel Kelati, 55, was convicted of murder in the second degree and armed criminal action.
Kelati
“This defendant murdered his former co-worker and friend Tariku Fite at the QuikTrip in Riverside as Mr. Fite was beginning to pump gas into his vehicle,” said Platte County Prosecutor Eric Zahnd. “Kelati shot him in the head at close range. The murder was captured on security video.”
Prosecutors proved at trial that shortly after 12:30 p.m. Oct. 9, 2021, police responded to the QT in Riverside after 911 calls described a man being shot at a gas pump. The first responding Riverside officer found a man later identified as Fite lying near a gas pump with a gunshot wound to the head.
Kelati, who was parked directly behind Fite’s vehicle at the gas pump approached the Riverside officer and stated “Officer, I am the one. I kill him. He follow me. I am the one. I kill him.” Kelati was immediately taken into custody at the QT.
Kelati’s vehicle was searched after a search warrant was obtained and a Ruger 9mm handgun was found in the driver’s seat. A single 9mm shell casing was found near where Fite was shot.
Prosecutors were able to prove that it was Kelati following Fite from the QT surveillance video, not Fite following Kelati.
Police recovered video footage from an animal hospital directly north of QT that also showed Kelati following Fite in his vehicle.
Kelati had pled not guilty by reason of mental disease or defect to his crimes.
Kelati remains in custody in the Platte County Jail. He is to be sentenced on June 29 at 10:30 a.m.
The case was investigated by the Riverside Police Department. The case was tried by Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Collin VanOstran and First Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Mark L. Gibson.