On the morning of April 20, 2017, William Froelich, a 52-year-old White male from the St. Louis area, was on duty in the 5900 block of Minerva Avenue in North St. Louis. A longtime employee of Laclede Gas, which is now known as Spire Energy, he was performing routine utility work alongside a younger colleague, 27-year-old Alex Boschert. The two men were engaged in maintenance tasks on a gas line in the residential neighborhood, with one worker positioned near a backhoe and the other standing by
a hole in the ground. The setting appeared normal for a Thursday morning shift until a stranger approached the job site.
Without speaking a word or offering any warning, a gunman walked up to the utility workers and opened fire. The attack was sudden and unprovoked, giving neither Froelich nor Boschert time to defend themselves or flee. Both men were struck by gunfire in the chest. Police reports indicated that the assailant targeted one employee first before turning his weapon on the second worker, who had run toward the commotion to investigate. Following the fatal shooting of the two men, the gunman turned the weapon on himself, committing suicide at the scene. Froelich was transported to a nearby hospital where he was pronounced dead, while his coworker died at the location of the shooting.
Authorities identified the shooter as 51-year-old Clinton Willis, a resident who lived approximately one mile from where the shooting took place. Because the suspect died by his own hand immediately following the crime, there were no arrests or trials connected to the case. Investigators recovered a handgun next to Willis's body and began probing his background for a motive. They discovered that Willis had a significant criminal history spanning over two decades, which included convictions for drug trafficking, assault, and armed criminal action. He had served prison time and had been released from supervision in 2009.
Despite an investigation into potential reasons for the violence, police struggled to find a direct link between Willis and the victims. There was early speculation regarding a dispute over utility bills, but Ameren Missouri stated that Willis was not facing a disconnection of service. Law enforcement eventually concluded that there was no known relationship between the shooter and the utility workers, leaving the families and the community with unanswered questions about the senseless act. Froelich was remembered by his community not only as a dedicated union worker of over thirty years but also as a family man, a Little League president, and a softball coach who was survived by his wife, three children, and a grandchild.
