On the evening of February 7, 2008, a mass shooting at Kirkwood City Hall in Missouri left Mayor Mike Emil Swoboda critically wounded during a council meeting. Charles Lee Cookie Thornton, 52, entered the chambers after the Pledge of Allegiance and opened fire, allegedly targeting city officials. Swoboda was shot twice, in the lower jaw and the back of the head, and rushed to a nearby medical center.

The attack also killed two council members, the public works director, and two police officers; a reporter was wounded. Thornton was shot and killed by responding officers at the scene. Swoboda was released to a rehabilitation facility after initial signs of recovery but later deteriorated and died in hospice on September 6, 2008; his death was attributed to complications from the gunshot wounds, a fall, and cancer. Thornton had a long record of disputes with the city and had left a note at home reading The truth will come out in the end.

If anyone attended that meeting or knew Mayor Swoboda and the other victims, can you share what you remember from that night or about their roles in the community?