As a member of the City Council of Granite City, my thoughts and prayers go out to all the victims and their families. Words cannot express the feelings I have at the loss of these public servants. I pray that the good Lord will comfort you in this hour of extreme sorrow.
Alderman Dr. Virgil Kambarian, Jr, Granite City, Illinois

My thoughts and prayers to all of the officials affected by the events in Kirkwood. I’ve had the honor of serving on a committee with Mayor Swoboda through the Missouri Municipal League and he is a past president of that orgainization. He is well thought of throughout the state for his leadership in that orgainization. As an elected official myself, you run into situations where people are upset all of the time. You just hope it never gets this extreme. I hope people will come together in Kirkwood and get through this and continue to be involved in their local government and support the people trying to keep the city going through these trying times.

Perhaps some of the prayers should be reserved for the cause of this event. The focus is always put on bullying in schools but what happens when those bullies grow up and then take positions on City Councils, Business Mgmt, etc.? They obviously pushed this man too far for someone to take this extreme measure. Kirkwood has a tendency to be uptight whites that have an issue with feeling superior to everyone else and I would say that attitude is common in several sub-communities in the St. Louis area - i.e. Chesterfield, Sunset Hills, Town and Country….. These communities need to look at how they are viewed externally. Sure many native St. Louisan’s have this problem also so they should step back also and realize in the grand scheme of things they are really nobody to push anyone else around.

I am praying for you.
Let us all wake up to our need for the Lord…in all aspects of life.

I agree with Tony. Until people and the media truly know a person and why they committed such horrific actions, people need to look at why would a person do something like this. It is the communities around them that have failed them and not guns. These actions were not this individuals character. He was a kind person who just wanted to be heard and he felt he was not being given that God given right. Remember, you can believe everything that you see or read or hear in the media.

My deepest sympathies go out to all those family members that lost someone they loved last night. May God help you through your loss.

My prayers go out to all the affected families in this tragedy. Charles Thornton was clearly an unstable man. I believe he felt that he was being unfairly dealt with; however, it appears that he had conflicts with MANY people and not just City Hall. He has sued and been sued more than any other person I’ve seen. To see his litigious history, go to:

http://www.courts.mo.gov/casenet

and put in his name - he has SEVERAL judgements and restraining orders against him. City Hall isn’t the only “person” who caused him “trouble.” He has a judgement against him for over $150,000 recently as well as a few judgements against him for not paying his taxes - one that is over $18,000.00. This idiot was the cause of his OWN problems - not City Hall. It seems that he was one of those disillusioned people who believes that he is not subject to the same rules and laws as the rest of us. When government or whomever tried to enforce the laws, Mr. Thornton cried discrimination. Good riddance to you Mr. Thornton, it’s just a shame that you took several good, upstanding, and rightous people with you.

Correction:

I meant to say that you cannot believe everything that you see or hear or read in the media.

As a former Chesterfield Police Officer who now works in Kansas City my deepest sympathies and prayers go out to all the innocent victims of this shooting. I especialy give my prayers to the deceased Kirwood Police Officers, their familes and the entire Kirkwood Police Department.

Both Officers were never given a chance to defend themselves against a cowardly adversary who shot them in the head without warning. Only the weakest of our sociecty would engage a Police Officer first and then to do so without so much as giving that Officer the chance at defense shows the extreme cowardness of that individual. I so glad the thug was able to be put down by other Kirkwood Officers thus saving the Department from a heart wrenching public trial.

RIP bother Officers and may the Lord accept you into His kingdom to be by His side for eternity and may He be with your familes to provide them some comfort in this terrible time.

That is really crazy that someone would actually look up his case.net history. You do not know what kind of person Mr. Thornton was in real life and this was not him. in reference to maritime66 comments.

Our sincere condolences to the families and friends of those effected by that horrific tradegy at the Kirkwood Court House. Having spent over 21 years in Kirkwood with both of our sons being born and reared in that lovely City before relocating to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, we feel a tremendous sense of loss for a City that has such a feeling of family, safety and an all American place to raise a family.

Our thoughts and prayers are with Mayor Swoboda, his family and all those family members of the other victims. This is a tradegy that just eats at your heart. Kirkwood is still a great place to live and Kirkwoodians will get through this as they’ve always had in the past.