Missourians awoke this morning to the news that an armed gunman had opened fire at a city council meeting in Kirkwood, a suburb of St. Louis, killing five and wounding at least two others before being shot to death by police officers.

The gunman, identified as Charles Lee “Cookie” Thornton, killed one officer outside Kirkwood City Hall, then walked into the council chambers, killed another police officer and continued pulling the trigger, the Associated Press is reporting.

A witness said the gunman yelled “Shoot the mayor!” as he fired shots in the chambers, hitting Mayor Mike Swoboda, then a police officer, then the town’s director of public works and the city attorney. Swoboda remains in critical condition. A newspaper reporter, Todd Smith, remains in satisfactory condition.

The AP reports that Thornton had been a contentious presence at council meetings and was twice convicted of disorderly conduct for disrupting meetings in May 2006. Ten days before the incident, Thornton lost a federal lawsuit which stated his constitutional right to free speech had been violated by barring him from speaking at meetings.

Gerald Thornton, the man’s brother, said the legal setback was the final straw.

“He has (spoken) on it as best he could in the courts, and they denied all rights to the access of protection and he took it upon himself to go to war and end the issue,” Gerald Thornton said.

Police Chaplain Father Robert Osborne expressed shock and sadness about the shooting, adding “This doesn’t happen in Kirkwood.”

The tragedy brings back memories of this past August, when an armed man entered a Neosho church during a Micronesian worship service and opened fire, killing three church leaders and wounding several others. Witnesses said the man shouted “Liars! Liars!” before opening fire.

Aug. 12, 2007, was a tragedy that shook Neosho to its core.

Before Aug. 12, many of us felt like such tragedies didn’t happen in Neosho. We felt safe and comfortable in our belief that mass shootings were something that happened elsewhere.

Late that afternoon, we knew differently.

As we’ve been through a similar tragedy, the citizens of Neosho and the surrounding area can certainly emphasize with Kirkwood residents. We know what it’s like to feel that “elevator drop” feeling down in our bellies when tragedy strikes close to home. As happened in Kirkwood, we’ve seen an entire city block roped off with crime scene tape. We’ve watched in shock as scenes of tragedy played out before our eyes, against a very familiar backdrop. We’ve seen our friends, our neighbors, our loved ones cope with tragedy, pain and sudden loss.

In short, we know what the residents of Kirkwood are going through. And they will certainly be in our thoughts and prayers. Please keep them in yours, as well.

DAILY NEWS