In the winter of 2018, tragedy struck a Missouri family twice in devastating succession. Scott A. Beary, a 43-year-old man, was fatally shot inside Show-Me's Sports Bar & Grill in Florissant, Missouri, on February 7, 2018. This heartbreak was compounded by the fact that only five days earlier, Beary and his wife had held the funeral for their 11-day-old daughter, Jocelyn, who was born prematurely.
A loving husband and father to three other children, he was described by friends and family as a funny, extremely caring, and great man who was always there for others.
The night of the shooting, what began as a trivial disagreement over the weight of a dog escalated into a fatal confrontation. Witnesses reported that the argument started between Beary and a friend of the eventual gunman. The situation intensified when the suspected shooter, Neal Myers, made a comment about Beary's weight. The verbal dispute turned physical, and Myers, then 55, pulled out a handgun and shot Beary multiple times in the chest. Another man was also injured by the gunfire but was treated for minor injuries and released.
Neal Myers was taken into police custody following the shooting. Initially, he was released without charges pending further review by the St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney's Office. However, he was later charged with second-degree murder, first-degree assault, and armed criminal action. During his trial in April 2019, Myers claimed he acted in self-defense, stating that Beary had punched him. After several hours of jury deliberation, Myers accepted a last-minute plea deal. He pleaded guilty to first-degree involuntary manslaughter and was sentenced to five years in prison, with the other charges being dismissed.
