The scene was the city’s iconic Masonic lodge, Tuscan Lodge No. 360 A.F. & A.M., which for decades has been a staple of the Central West End. The building is just blocks from Forest Park and has long been listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The intrusion into the structure triggered an alarm just before 4 a.m. A 37-year-old member of the Masonic order who lives in the building was awakened in his third-floor apartment.
He descended to the second floor where he encountered the suspect. In the confrontation that followed the resident shot the alleged intruder.
The man, identified as 48-year-old Geanard Howard of St. Louis, was found by responding officers on the floor of a bathroom and pronounced dead at the scene.
The resident of the lodge contacted police and is reportedly cooperating with the investigation. There is no word on whether the alleged intruder was armed when he broke into the building.
Under Missouri’s Castle Doctrine, there does not have to be a threat of death or serious injury for a homeowner to use lethal force against an intruder. The fact that there is a break-in and a reasonable fear of death or injury is enough to justify resorting to lethal force.
The lodge, which was once frequented by former President Harry S. Truman, is the home to roughly 160 members. The institution is locally famous for the wide array of dignitaries who counted themselves among its membership, including many local and state political leaders.
It has a distinguished history in the city that is now beset with a violent crime epidemic.
