Gunman in Missouri utility worker deaths had criminal record

ST. LOUIS -- A gunman who killed two utility workers in St. Louis before killing himself had a long criminal history, including drug and assault convictions, along with financial troubles leading to bankruptcy, court records show.

Clinton Willis

Police on Friday identified the gunman as 51-year-old Clinton Willis, who lived about a mile from where the Laclede Gas employees were shot Thursday. Police identified the slain workers as Alex Boschert, 27, and William Froelich, 52.

Police declined to discuss a possible motive, saying only the shooting did not appear to be racially motivated. Willis was black, and both workers were white.

Electric utility Ameren Missouri confirmed in a statement Willis had an account with the company but said he was "not under the threat of disconnection" of electricity. The statement followed a St. Louis Post-Dispatch report, citing unidentified sources, that Willis was upset about an unpaid electric bill. Police have not released a motive and declined to speculate on whether that could have been one.

Willis' criminal history dates back more than 20 years and includes convictions on drug trafficking, assault and armed criminal action. Court records show he was sentenced to 14 years in prison in 1997, was paroled in January 2008 and released from supervision in September 2009.

While in prison, Willis was written up nearly three dozen times for creating disturbances, possessing contraband, disobeying orders, stealing and making threats, according to records obtained by The Associated Press. The records do not provide details on the misconduct.

Willis also filed for bankruptcy in 2012 and emerged from it the following January, according to court records.

Police said Willis walked up to the workers in a residential area on the western edge of St. Louis and opened fire without saying a word. Both workers were shot in the chest; the gunman was shot in the head, and a gun was found next to him.

Boschert's family remembered him as "a hard-working young man who loved the outdoors and being on the farm," adding in a prepared statement "he treasured his family and his friends." The family declined to field questions and requested privacy.

A man at Willis' home told reporters Friday to leave "out of respect for the family," then reiterated that insistence when reporters sought to speak to neighbors.

The shooting prompted precautions from several utilities. Laclede Gas and Ameren took workers off the city's streets Thursday, and Missouri American Water and the Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District removed workers from the immediate area of the shooting. Workers for all four utilities were back in the field Friday, but working with an abundance of caution.

Laclede Gas spokeswoman Jenny Gobble said employees were given safety instructions, but she declined to elaborate. Ameren and the sewer district said they also had conversations with workers about safety.

Missouri American Water spokesman Brian Russell said meter readers and other workers who typically work alone were given the option of working in pairs. The utility also will consider long-term changes.

"Our security team is going to review what happened after we get more details from police," Russell said.

The shooting came two days after a man wanted in the slaying of a security guard gunned down three men, including a Pacific Gas & Electric Co. employee, in unprovoked attacks in downtown Fresno, California. Kori Ali Muhammad, 39, who is black, was arrested shortly after the rampage, and posts on what appeared to be his Facebook page discussed wanting to kill white people.

St. Louis has one of the highest homicide rates in the U.S. The city recorded 188 killings in both 2015 and 2016 and had 45 this year through April 18, according to police.

Associated Press reporter Jim Suhr contributed to this story from Kansas City, Mo.