Charles Thornton

Mass Murderer

Charles Lee “Cookie” Thornton: The 2008 Kirkwood City Hall Mass Murder

Background

Charles Lee “Cookie” Thornton (December 23, 1955 – February 7, 2008) was a longtime resident of Meacham Park in St. Louis County, Missouri. He had clashed for years with Kirkwood city officials over code violations and perceived slights, and he had recently lost lawsuits against the city. These disputes formed the backdrop to the mass shooting he committed at a public city council meeting in Kirkwood, Missouri, on February 7, 2008.

The Attack on February 7, 2008

Shortly after 7:00 p.m. on February 7, 2008, Thornton parked near Kirkwood City Hall and first confronted Sgt. William Biggs in a parking lot across a side street. He shot Biggs with a .44 Magnum revolver, took the sergeant’s .40-caliber service handgun, and then entered the council chambers wielding both weapons. Inside, as the meeting began, Thornton opened fire at close range—killing a police officer, two council members, and the public works director, and shooting Mayor Mike Swoboda and a local reporter before being killed in a shootout with responding officers.

Victims, Dates, and Locations

The following fatalities and injuries resulted from the shooting; all initial shootings occurred the evening of February 7, 2008, at or immediately outside Kirkwood City Hall in Kirkwood, Missouri:

• Sgt. William “Bill” Biggs (50) – Kirkwood Police; shot and killed in a parking lot across the side street from City Hall before the gunman entered the building (February 7, 2008; outside City Hall).
• Officer Tom Ballman (37) – Kirkwood Police; shot and killed inside the council chambers (February 7, 2008; inside City Hall).
• Connie Karr (51) – Kirkwood City Council member; shot and killed inside the council chambers (February 7, 2008; inside City Hall).
• Michael H. T. Lynch (63) – Kirkwood City Council member; shot and killed inside the council chambers (February 7, 2008; inside City Hall).
• Kenneth Yost (61) – Kirkwood Public Works Director; shot and killed inside the council chambers (February 7, 2008; inside City Hall).
• Mayor Mike Swoboda (69) – Kirkwood Mayor; shot twice in the head inside the council chambers on February 7, 2008; he initially survived, underwent multiple surgeries, returned briefly to City Hall in April, and later died on September 6, 2008, while also battling cancer (death not at the scene).
• Todd Smith (36) – Reporter, Suburban Journals; wounded by gunfire in the hand (February 7, 2008; inside City Hall), survived.

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Confirmed Victims: (6)

Thomas Frederick Tom Ballman 37 yr old Male

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Kirkwood City Council shooting

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