On the afternoon of August 24, 2022, a dispute at a home in the 1200 block of Congress Avenue in the Spanish Lake neighborhood of St. Louis County turned deadly. Michael Mayer, 51, and his neighbor began a verbal argument inside the living room that escalated. Investigators say the neighbor, 63-year-old John Cowan, retrieved a 12-gauge shotgun and followed Mayer into the kitchen, where Cowan allegedly fired, striking Mayer once in the stomach.

St. Louis County Police responded shortly after 2:30 p.m.; Mayer was found in the kitchen and pronounced dead at the scene. Officers located the shotgun in the living room and took Cowan into custody without further incident. Cowan was charged with first-degree murder and armed criminal action, and a judge set bond at $1 million, cash-only.

Did anyone in the Spanish Lake area witness the argument or have other information about what led to the shooting?