Doug Huffman
Banned
imported post
http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/stlouiscitycounty/story/ ...
A man walked into a Kirkwood city council meeting Thursday night and shot several people, including the city’s mayor and several council members.
A correspondent for the Post-Dispatch who was attending said the 7 p.m. meeting had just started when the man rushed into the council chambers yelling and began opening fire with at least one weapon. She identified the man as Charles Lee "Cookie" Thornton.
"He came from the back of the room," said Janet McNichols, the correspondent. "He kept yelling ‘shoot the mayor’ and he just walked around shooting anybody he could."
McNichols said the shooter first fired at a police officer at the meeting, then began firing at the council. As people went to the floor, the shooter walked toward the council area.
He fired at the city attorney, who fended the attacker off by throwing chairs, McNichols said. The shooter went behind a curved desk where the council sits and fired more shots at members of the council, she said.
Then police arrived and shot the attacker.
Among those hit, in addition to the police officer, were Mayor Mike Swoboda, council members Michael H.T. Lynch and Connie Karr and Public Works Directer Kenneth Yost, McNichols said. Conditions were not known for any of them.
She said about 30 people were in the council chambers at the time of the shooting. Witnesses were herded into offices while police secured the scene.
http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/stlouiscitycounty/story/ ...
A man walked into a Kirkwood city council meeting Thursday night and shot several people, including the city’s mayor and several council members.
A correspondent for the Post-Dispatch who was attending said the 7 p.m. meeting had just started when the man rushed into the council chambers yelling and began opening fire with at least one weapon. She identified the man as Charles Lee "Cookie" Thornton.
"He came from the back of the room," said Janet McNichols, the correspondent. "He kept yelling ‘shoot the mayor’ and he just walked around shooting anybody he could."
McNichols said the shooter first fired at a police officer at the meeting, then began firing at the council. As people went to the floor, the shooter walked toward the council area.
He fired at the city attorney, who fended the attacker off by throwing chairs, McNichols said. The shooter went behind a curved desk where the council sits and fired more shots at members of the council, she said.
Then police arrived and shot the attacker.
Among those hit, in addition to the police officer, were Mayor Mike Swoboda, council members Michael H.T. Lynch and Connie Karr and Public Works Directer Kenneth Yost, McNichols said. Conditions were not known for any of them.
She said about 30 people were in the council chambers at the time of the shooting. Witnesses were herded into offices while police secured the scene.