Plant worker kicked out after dispute returns to kill coworker, Missouri cops say

Two Missouri men are accused of murder in the fatal shooting of a coworker following a workplace dispute, officials said.

Investigators say 47-year-old Kevin Jackson got into an argument or fight with a coworker at the Harcros Chemicals Inc. plant in St. Louis, on July 10, according to recently filed court documents. The documents didn’t specify what caused the dispute, but they said it was disruptive enough that a manager ordered Jackson to leave the facility.

Jackson, along with another worker, 51-year-old James Anthony Pickett, got into an SUV parked in a nearby lot and drove away, the documents said. But he wasn’t gone long, according to investigators.

McClatchy News reached out to an attorney listed for Jackson but didn’t immediately receive a response. No attorney was listed for Pickett.

“Shortly thereafter, the rest of the business employees begin to exit the building and proceed out of the perimeter fence,” documents said.

The coworker was standing on a sidewalk with another employee when Jackson suddenly pulled up in an SUV, investigators said. Pickett got out of the passenger seat and opened fire, shooting the coworker in the head, the court documents said.

Pickett got back in, Jackson put the SUV in reverse, and they fled the area, according to documents. The coworker died two days later.

Jackson and Pickett are facing charges of murder and armed criminal action, documents show. They are considered a danger to the community and were denied bond.

This story was originally published July 31, 2024 at 8:44 AM with the headline "Plant worker kicked out after dispute returns to kill coworker, Missouri cops say."