Lionel Anthony Brown, 38, was killed in a St. Louis salvage yard and found dead there on Sunday, September 16, 2018, in the 4800 block of Dr. Martin Luther King Drive. The investigation began after ShotSpotter picked up gunfire the previous morning; officers initially found the locked yard and no obvious signs of trouble.

Charles A. Lay, 46, who was living in a trailer on the property, told police the shooting was accidental. Lay said Brown suddenly appeared from behind a stack of tires, he was startled and fired, and Brown was killed. Lay admitted trying to hide the firearm by encasing it in concrete.

Lay’s record includes prior felony convictions, including felony assault and armed criminal action in 1994, a history that barred him from possessing a gun. After his statement he was arrested and charged with involuntary manslaughter and unlawful possession of a weapon and held on $50,000 bond.

If anyone saw or heard anything at the salvage yard around the time of the shooting, please share what is known.