Feb. 9, 2008 - KirkwoodMOTragedy

My feelings are sad and remorseful as I watched the T.V. newscasts here. We're about 15 minutes away from the City of Kirkwood. This is a great city, tree lined, with modest homes to elegant homes. It's has a typical small town feel to it. Loaded with history. It's a place where you know your neighbors and actually do like them and visit back and forth. It has a wonderful old train station (still functioning ) and lots of unique shops to visit and make it a day doing that. It's not to be missed at Christmas time when all the city lights up including the train station and City Hall.

What a terrible night Thursday evening the 7Th of February was, for so many unsuspecting people. People who try to do what's right for the city and the people in it. Of course, not everyone is going to be happy about the decisions to be made. That's their right and they get to express it.

On that fateful night, 6 people died some injured. Their outcome unsure. They were fathers, mothers, grandparents, someones child; people that other people cared about. Still do.

The community has drawn close now, supporting one another. I feel their pain. My feeling is that the shooter, Charles "Cookie" Thornton was not in a good mental state. No one really knew how strongly he felt until he killed 5 other people. People he knew. Some people were friends to him. Not a clue of what was to come. In an instant, lives have changed forever.  If it can happen here, it can happen any where.

I pray for peace for each of the families. My heart goes out to them. Kirkwood is a strong community and it will come out of this stronger.