In the quiet suburb of Kirkwood, Missouri, the evening of February 7, 2008, was shattered by an eruption of violence that claimed the life of Kenneth Yost and four others. Yost, the 61-year-old Public Works Director for the city, was attending a city council meeting when a gunman opened fire. The assembly had just begun at Kirkwood City Hall, with about 30 people in attendance, when the shooter entered the council chambers and began firing.
The assailant was identified as Charles Lee
“Cookie” Thornton, a 52-year-old local man with a history of contentious dealings with the city government. Thornton had a history of disrupting council meetings and held long-standing grievances against the city. On that fateful evening, he first fatally shot Kirkwood Police Sergeant William Biggs in a parking lot across from City Hall before entering the building. Inside the council chambers, he shot and killed Police Officer Tom Ballman, council members Connie Karr and Michael H.T. Lynch, and Kenneth Yost. The city's mayor, Mike Swoboda, and a reporter were also wounded in the attack.
Witnesses reported that Thornton yelled 'Shoot the mayor!' as he fired upon the city officials. The rampage ended when police who responded to the scene engaged Thornton in a shootout, during which he was killed. The aftermath of the tragic event left the community in shock and mourning the loss of dedicated public servants. Kenneth Yost, who had served as the City Engineer and Public Works Director since 1973, was remembered as a beloved husband, father, and colleague. His sudden and violent death was part of a devastating attack that stemmed from the shooter's personal vendettas against the city and its officials.
