Former State Rep. Keith English, I-Florissant, has reportedly committed suicide. On the House floor today, Republican Kevin Engler of Farmington addresses the 50-year-old English’s death.
Representative Keith English (photo courtesy; Tim Bommel, Missouri House Communications)
“It’s reportedly sadly that they believe that it was suicide. The reason I bring that up is do you remember Keith talking about that and talking about his mom? I don’t know what causes these things,” says Engler. “There are troubles that people have that I don’t understand.”
Engler says his former colleague was a passionate man.
“Those of us that served with him knew that. He sat right over there,” he says. “Sometimes for his party, sometimes against. He was proud to be an electrician, a union electrician.”
English worked with Democrats to fight against Right-to-work legislation that would ban mandatory union fees in the workplace. Last year, a Right-to-work bill was signed into law by the GOP-controlled legislature and is tied up in court.
He left the Democratic Party in 2015. English was a supporter of tax cuts, restrictions on abortion, and was a pro-labor and pro-gun registered Independent.
English ran for re-election in 2016, but was defeated by Democrat Jay Mosley.
News reports say Jefferson City police found English’s body in a parking lot near the residence he lived in when he left the Missouri Legislature. Authorities reportedly also recovered a firearm at the scene, which is near a church.