St. Louis-area man fatally shot after tripping over barbecue

FLORISSANT, Mo. (AP) - Authorities say a man fatally shot another man in a stairwell of a St. Louis-area apartment complex after the victim tripped over a barbecue and bumped an apartment door.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that 30-year-old Thomas Clement was charged Monday with second-degree murder in the killing outside Florissant early Sunday morning.

St. Louis County police said 31-year-old Larry Neal Jr. of Florissant was walking in an apartment complex breezeway when he tripped over the barbecue and accidently bumped an apartment door. Neal walked away and headed up a stairway.

Police said Clement emerged from the apartment with a gun and fired 11 shots. Neal died at a hospital.

Clement is a University City resident and is jailed without bail. Police did not know whether the men knew each other.