Seriously, people. Why do you all think that you are so important that you have to make your point. No one knows exactly what happened. Just let these families grieve and keep your comments to yourselves.

I am the mother of Officer Tom Ballman and my life and the life of my whole family has stopped and changed with the one shot of the gun. Bullet in the head? This was my child: the only son I gave birth to and the pain is too great to bear. When you pick up a gun and aim it at someone you are changing the lives of at least 100 people and in Toms case, 1000 people. He loved his job and I think the people of Kirkwood loved him. We love him and will never get over this animal doing this.

Kirkwood?This was Meacham Park,that did not ask for Kirkwoods "help".Where are the complaints from neighbors? no Kirkwoood thinks itself to be town and country,it is not!when people are forceed to do things in a manner that is not their way problems will follow .It is shocking that this hasn't happened in Florissant or Union or Bella Villa or.......

God said in his word that he will judge all, not just Cookie but everyone. Where are we in Christ?

I am sick of people saying the actions taken against Cookie were racial. I believe the only racist was Cookie himself. He seemed to think that because he was black, the ordinances of the City of Kirkwood shouldn't apply to him. I don't think he was the nice person everyone made him out to be. His shooting rampage was not his first act of violence. According to the reports, he attacked a guy because he was told he couldn't put his ridiculous picket up in front of the restaurant. It appears Cookie believed in free speech for himself, but not for anyone else. The City cited him for numerous infractions because he openly refused to comply with the City ordinances. It appears the City even offered to remove all the fines if he would start complying with the ordinances, and just drop the issue and live peacefully with the people around him and he refused. It seems to me that he was greedy and felt the City of Kirkwood should make him a millionaire. The reason Kirkwood is beautiful and a nice place to live and not an area where people have sixteen old decaying abandoned cars parked in their uncared for front lawns in front of their broken falling down homes is because of the ordiances that we are required to follow. We may not always like what the ordinances require, but they keep us from living in the filth and decay that would exist if they weren't there. These ordinances apply to everyone and anyone who openly refused to comply with them would be cited. I don't care if the City was citing you 200 times a day, that doesn't justify killing people in cold blood. Why are guns suddenly the answer for everything? When did our society become so uncivilized that it became acceptable for people to shoot those who they have disagreements with?

I worked for the City for 2 years,and knew Cookie and some of those that he murdered. Cookie was a wolf in sheeps clothing. He lied to family, friends,and business people alike. He skipped rent, didn't pay child suppoort, and destroyed others property. He had no respect for authority, and little for himself. He was overtaken with hatred, pride and the love of money. Mercy was freely extended to Cookie by those he murdered, yet he was so overwhelmed by his hatred that he lacked the ability to think ratinally or wisely. I know this City, I know this man, and I know the Friends of mine that he murdered. Say what you want about racism, pushing people over the edge, or whatever excuse one can come up with to justify the irrational thoughts that may be running through your head to justify your own past offenses, but Cookie was wrong, and he had no right to take the lives of these servants. Much of what Cookie had was afforded to him through the tax paying citizens of Kirkwood. His education, some of his companies contracts, all provided by Kirkwood. Meacham Park on the other hand, obviously gave him little to nothing of value. And don't be fooled, Meacham Park. Maybe, Cookie would give your children a place to play, and a popcycle on a hot day. But, he would also illegally dump hazardous waste on vacant lots in your neighborhood for your children to play in. O my, there is so much more I could tell. But, those of us who know...who really know, Cookie was no hero. He was a parasite. However, Cookie, you got one thing right after all...The Truth Will Win In The End. That truth being that you were wrong.

good for him! he had more courage in action than any of you cowardly pundits will ever know. justice is not equal or just, in this case he made it so.....peace

The idea that Thornton is a "soldier," as the cretin from Webster Groves called him, is ludicrous. A soldier arms himself to take on those who are just as, or better, armed. Shooting people who don't have a chance of defending themselves, including police officers in what amounts to an ambush, is the work of a coward. That's why some of our brigs are holding GIs who shot unarmed civilians or prisoners. That's the problem with "victims"; a "victim" can justify any response to their victimhood.

For those who are angry at the names released - if others decide not to release names that is fine for them. To decide for the news outlets is another matter. Perhaps they should issue a stack of tickets to them for not doing exactly what their government tells them to do. Yes that will work.

i live in kirkwood, just blocks from the court house. i've seemn sevearl of the dead in passing while being out in my little community. i was ill last sunmmer for several weeks and was cited for tall grass. guess what, we mowed the frikkin lawn!i didnt continue to let my grass grow, or repeatedly skipped mows. i didnt go to the council meetings to put on a ridiculous attention grabbing stunt, yell, scream, or throw myself down on the floor and disrupt normal buisiness. i didnt personally blame the people who cited me, nor the elected officials. I complied with the code and made sure that it didnt happen again!!! as for racial tensions here, kirkwood is a fairly interesting blend of people of different ethnicities, backgrounds and cultures. on my block alone we have pagan,christian, white, black, middle easterner, native american, mixed race, gay and lesbian families. please people, its so easy to try and make a crazy man's actions seem rational by throwing out a racial bias slant?? seriously, a giant donkey picture, a grown man throwing himself down on the ground and refusijng to leave or stop screaming--are these the actions of a rational man who just wanted justice?? NO they are the actions of a nut sack who went crazy and tragically killed several people in my small community. i geieve with the rest of kirwood today.

Every small town has its local crazies who come to the council meetings and disrupt, egomaniacs claiming the city is after them - "Cookie" was just another one of these psycho types who considered himself a "victim." Tragically, "Cookie" took it to a deadly extreme. I refuse to believe that he was singled out any more than his ridiculous behavior already distinguished him as a troublemaker. I'm shocked he continued these claims of "victimization" and bullying when the council mercifully decided NOT to ban him after his two convictions for disorderly conduct. That's right, this lunatic STILL had the right to come to and speak at council meetings - provided it was on topic, as the Federal judge ruled. What more did he want? Apparently the lives of innocent people. Indefensible, all of it.

Whenever there are 20 infraction tickets issues at one time there is a motovating factor other than the criminal bad act. The Fed. Judge should have appointed an attorney. Race has always been an issur in Kirkwood. No St. Louis res. could denie that.

I lived in Creve Coeur back in 1972 and have lived in Los Angeles ever since. My father was an actor at the Kirkwood Theatre Guild. We were celebrating the Dolphins going undefeated on Super Bowl Sunday that year. This is such a horrible tragedy I can't put it into words. And all of this due to a disagreement about parking. Surely the human race is in need of a new way of thinking.

THATS A STUPID THING TO SAY THAT THIS WAS RACIAL. THIS MAN HAS BEEN CAUSING PROBLEMS FOR A WHILE

WE ARE ON THE OUTSIDE LOOKING IN,WE DON'T KMNOW EXACTLY WHAT WAS HAPPENING IN THIS CASE. I FEEL FOR ALL THE FAMILY'S IN THIS TRAGIC INCIDENT,BUT WHY DID THEY GIVE SO MANY TICKETS TO THIS MAN WHEN HE WAS AWAY AND WOULD THEY HAVE DONE THIS IF HE WAS OF ANOTHER COLOR? PLEASE DON'T TELL ME THAT THIS WAS NOT SOME WHAT RACIAL.

My heart goes out to everyone that has lost a love one. What has happen to this world of ours? We all have our problems and we try to deal with them but, shooting innocent people to make a point does not make any sense. Why can't everyone just get along?

I am with Bill from Ballwin. They better watch that brother. From the comments I heard him make on Fox awhile ago, he is a potential danger as well.

My father was among the dead last night. And people on here think that he should have died because they disagree with city council zoning decisions????? I've never been as ashamed to live in St. Louis as I am reading these comments this morning. Let us grieve in peace, and take your hate elsewhere. You're no better than the man who killed my dad, you pathetic lowlifes.

Although it may seem excessive to give so many tickets, had "Cookie" spent his time cleaning up instead of whining and making a fool of himself about it, the tickets would have stopped. I'm sure the police have much more important things to do than single out one small business man. Besides, if anyone that ever received a ticket for breaking zoning laws went out and shot someone, we would really have a mess!

Kirkwood should of deannexed Meacham Park a long time of go. He could of parked his trucks there and none of this would of probably happened.Did his neighbors Complain? The ones affected the most by it,come on; 7 tickets everyday for 3 days, 21 total, a little excessive don't you think! Plus his brother just finds out his brother snapped and says what he feels and he'll be hounded tremendously for it. But in the end,Cookie should of put the gun to himself,nothing okays taking anothers life, no matter what the injustice.

I am absolutely sickened by what happened last night in Kirkwood. As a friend to many local government officials, these people are not on the power trips that many people blame them to be on and for someone to act out the way this animal did on more than one occasion is unforgiveable. If he broke the rules of the city ordinances, that is his fault, not the fault of those elected officials. No one took away that man's rights, he took away the rights and the lifes of those not only in the board room but of the families and friends of those affected and of the residents of Kirkwood. It worries me about the safety of those elected officials in other municipalities and I pray that this does not happen again.

My son-in-law graduated from and my daughter worked at Virginia Tech, in fact Dan was a Resident Advisor on the very same floor where the first two students were killed that day. It was a hellish thing to go through, and my heart goes out to all the families, including that of the shooter, the people at the meeting and the whole town of Kirkwood. It will never be the same. My deep condolences go the the police department as well-- I work at the local PD here and I know how badly they are suffering, one, from losing two fellow officers, and two, agonizing over what they could have done to avert this tragedy. The answer is probably nothing. I don't care what kind of problems you have, it doesn't justify what this man or the guy at VT did-- it's the coward's way of getting his/her way. And those left in the wake are the ones who pay the ultimate price-- I know.

This man was sick and it's good he was put away. I think I would keep a real close eye on his idiot brother. The remarks he made lead me to believe he is just as dangerous and should be watched very closely.

It's the new mentality-- "I don't get my way, the law says I can't do what I please, so I'll just kill 'em all."

I find some of the comments on here bizarre. "Cause and effect"? Bull. The man went off the deep end over some imagined slight. His brother stated that he "went to war". The coward walked into a meeting with murderous intent to shoot unarmed people. This was no war. This was a blood bath. My thoughts and prayers are with all of the families involved in this horrendous act.

It's an extremely sad story. The man was obviously ill and was not getting the help he needed. It's a shame that guns are so easy to get that he was able to murder 5 and cause his own death. Remind me again why we all need to be able to shoot each other?

I'm sorry but it does not matter what is stems from. No, we should not make excuses for bad choices or bad behavior. Even if people are at their witts-end with the political system, that is no excuse. Get some self control and value others above yourself. This would solve both abuse of government and inappropriate actions of the people. Stop making excuses for bad behavior.

Obviously this is the act of an angry, out of control psycho. For someone to suggest that this man was cornered like an animal is sick. This man had a serious anger problem and it drove him over the edge. There is no one to blame but the shooter. It's about time we stop blaming others for our actions and take personal responsibility. This is a very sad and desperate act of a cowardly maniac.

i think it all stems from this eminant domain issue, that is happening in the st. louis area. i am truly saddened about what happened, and sometimes when you push someone to the breaking point, something has to give. this time it was six the lives of six people, what next?

I am disgusted that this situation immediately goes to comments on gun control and racism. There are even comments here that suggest that the city officials "had it coming" as "cause and effect". Who are you people? Animals? We are all responsible to control OURSELVES. If you are not sure what that means, try seeking the Lord and look to His Word for examples...love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. If you are wronged...you deal with it according to the laws of your community and the laws of the Lord. Everyone is looking out for "number one". If the city was being unfair, deal with it the right way. If this man was pushed to the limits and lost his mind and did an act which stemmed from psychological problems, so be it. BUT, let us not all turn this into a situation of "you get what is coming to you". NO MORE! You are just setting things up for more violence. Treat others as YOU wish to be treated EVEN if you are not being treated that way. Be responsible for YOURSELF...stop being the victim! This is basic stuff here people, we teach it to our children...The Golden Rule. But, I suppose if you have no regard for what God says about living...the results will always be the same. Selfishness.

Just in regards to what anonymous said. Yes they did say that names would not be released until 10am on the 8th, but if you do any research on the internet or look up/read anything that has to do with the recent activities you will see that names are spread across every article and/or headline. The media means no disrespect to anyone but it is the media, they only wait so long to get their story out.My thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families. This all came as quite a shock and it is a true tragedy. You would never imagine something like this happening in such a nice community as Kirkwood.

I send my condolences to the victims families and that includes the shooters family also. They are also innocent victims in this insane act of violence.I am so tired of gun violence in America,I've been told over and over that guns don't kill people,only people kill people and our right to bear arms is in the constitution.Slavery was also legal under the constitution as originally written.Now is not the time for these thoughts I guess,just thinking about and praying for the families of the vi ctims is about all one can do.

A real warning to the cities who would usurp the rights of individuals. Metal detectors will only mean the the actions will occur at residences instead of government offices. I can see that most cities officials pose themselves as being above the citizens they represent. Power corrupts ... and absolute power corrupts absolutely.A clear warning that our officials must listen and have a compassionate ear to everyone.

Well, cause and effect at its finest. When the system keeps a man down in the name of "the rule of law" and "policies and procedures", this is the result. If you corner an animal, and limit its options, it will lash out. Every one deserves a say in government, regardless of how abnormal "society" may consider them. All actions have consequences - a caveat we tend to forget in our politically correct and corrupt society

We are in Palm Beach County Florida, and it is as shocking to us here as it is to you there. What does one say when there are no right words? Violence is a weak man's way out and has no place in our society. Our hearts are with the town. God Bless everyone.

I believe that it is a great thing to have an eyewitness account. It is our right as a public to know what is happening in our community. NO we should not know before the familys are notified but once the family has been notified I think the public should be notified. This is exceptional news coverage work. Much praise to stl today and news 4 for reporting not just one side of the news but both. It is sad and horrible to think this type of thing could happen in our community BUT as a public we need to be faced with the hard hitting truth so to help prevent this in the furture. No government has the right to keep the community in the dark and fear of what has happened. My heart goes out to the familys of the victems. My thoughts are with our community to come together as a whole city region and heal.

My prayers for all of the public servants that have given their lives for the betterment of all the community. I ask each of you to take the time to thank those that serve.

it is totally unethical for this to be on tv or your website at this time. They have shown total disrespect to the families involved. It was made very clear on the news tonight that NO NAMES would be released until tomorrow at 10:00 AM