A mass shooting at a City Council meeting in Missouri is similar to a shooting in the Quad City area that happened more than two decades ago. Seven people were shot -- 5 of them are dead. It happened in Kirkwood, Missouri, a suburb of St. Louis.
Police say the council chambers erupted into gunfire when frustrated local businessman, Charles "Cookie" Thornton burst into the room and opened fire.
"Kirkwood is such a wonderful community and for someone to be this upset and this violent is just shocking ", one neighbor said.
Thornton shot seven people, including the 3 city administrators who were shot dead as were two Kirkwood policemen. The mayor was critically wounded. A local newspaper reporter took a bullet in the hand.
Thornton killed on police officer in the parking lot, before entering city hall. According to police, he had a large caliber revolver. Police quickly responded, and Thorton was shot and killed by police.
Bill Reinke, another Kirkwood resident knew the gunman, "He seemed lately, just to feel that things were going wrong and things weren't really getting the respect that he wanted."
The case is hauntingly familiar to a deadly shooting in the Quad City area. In December of 1986, a man opened fire at the Mt. Pleasant City Council meeting.
Mayor Ed King was killed. Two council members, Ron DuPree and Jo Anne Sankey were wounded.
The gunman, Ralph Davis, stopped shooting and then quietly sat down in the council chambers, before police at the meeting grabbed him.
Davis was a disgruntled resident, who was angry over a sewer back-up in his home. He was sentenced to life in prison.
City Hall in Kirkwood, Missouri where a gunman killed 5 people.
Suspected Gunman, Charles "Cookie" Thorton was shot and killed by police.
In Mt. Pleasant, a gunman killed Mayor Ed King and wounded two council members in 1986.
Mt. Pleasant Gunman, Ralph Davis.
