In the spring of 2015, a series of verbal disagreements between neighbors in a North St. Louis apartment complex escalated to a fatal conclusion. The dispute, which had been ongoing throughout the day, ended when one man went to his apartment, retrieved a gun, and shot his neighbor twice in the chest.
The victim was Christopher Bruce, a 40-year-old male resident of the Nico Terrace Apartments located in the 2100 block of Hecht Avenue. The shooting occurred around 7 p.m.
at the apartment complex where both he and the suspect lived.
Following the incident, police arrested and charged 45-year-old Grayland Stovall with first-degree murder. Stovall, who also resided in the 2100 block of Hecht Avenue, was taken into custody and held on a $500,000 cash-only bond. The incident marked the second shooting to occur at the same apartment complex within a couple of months.
Christopher J. Bruce was remembered by his family and friends. His funeral services were held on Saturday, May 23, 2015, at Serenity Memorial Funeral and Cremation Service on Union Boulevard in St. Louis. He was laid to rest at Laurel Hill Memorial Gardens on Pennsylvania Avenue. He left behind his mother, two sisters, a significant other, and a host of other relatives and friends.
