Inside the Kirkwood City Hall Shooting: City Attorney John Hessel’s Firsthand Account (2008)

On February 7, 2008, Kirkwood City Hall became the scene of a tragedy that shook St. Louis and the nation. Cookie Thornton opened fire during a city council meeting, killing six people before being shot and killed by responding police officers. In this powerful episode, we sit down with John Hessel, Kirkwood’s longtime City Attorney, who was inside the council chambers when the shooting began. John walks us through what led up to that day—years of escalating conflict tied to the Meacham Park redevelopment, court battles, public meetings, and warning signs that, in hindsight, are impossible to ignore. He then recounts the moment everything changed, what he saw firsthand, how he survived, and what it took to live with the aftermath. This is a raw, respectful, first-person account of a tragedy that left a permanent mark on a community—told by someone who lived it, and honoring the victims and the law enforcement officers who ran toward danger. Communities that support law enforcement are safer places to live. #TheBrighterSideOfBlue #PolicePodcast #LawEnforcement #TrueCrime #BehindTheBadge #PoliceStories #Kirkwood #KirkwoodCityHall