Missouri father dies in bar shooting days after funeral for his 11-day-old daughter

A disagreement — reportedly over a dog’s weight — led to the fatal shooting of a St. Louis-area father on Wednesday inside a sports bar.

The Florissant Police Department identified the victim as Scott A. Beary, 43, who was shot several times in the chest. Beary, of Manchester, Mo., died at the scene — just days after he lost a daughter who was born prematurely.

Multiple St. Louis media outlets said witnesses told police that the victim and the gunman’s friend got into a disagreement over a dog’s weight before the shooting occurred at Show-Me’s Sports Bar & Grill. A witness at the bar said he overheard the friend saying his German Shepard was 290 pounds. Beary didn’t believe it, the witness told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

The matter later escalated after the suspected gunman commented on Beary’s weight. From there, police said the encounter turned physical. Witnesses reported hearing four or five gunshots.

A 37-year-old Troy, Mo., man was also hit by the gunfire. He was treated and released from a hospital with minor injuries.

The man who was suspected in the shooting was taken into police custody and has since been released without charges, the police department said Friday in a Facebook post.

The St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office took the case under advisement pending further review, the news release said.

According to a GoFundMe page created for the family, Beary and his wife had a 11-day-old daughter, Jocelyn, who died after she was born prematurely. The infant’s funeral was Feb. 2, five days before Beary was killed. He is survived by his wife and three other children.

The fundraising page set up to help cover medical bills and funeral expenses has raised more than $31,000 as of Friday.

“For those that did not know Scott, he was a loving husband, father, brother, son and friend to many,” a statement on the GoFundMe page said. “He was a funny, extremely caring GREAT man that would be there for you at the drop of a hat. He always had jokes and funny stories to tell.”

This story was originally published February 9, 2018 at 12:12 PM with the headline "Missouri father dies in bar shooting days after funeral for his 11-day-old daughter."