Funerals held for two killed in Kirkwood, Mo., shooting

BALLWIN, Mo. -- The Kirkwood police chief, whose community was rocked by the recent deaths of six people at a city council meeting, called for an end to violence Tuesday.

Separate funerals were held Tuesday for two of those killed, police Officer Tom Ballman and councilman Michael H.T. Lynch.

Police chief Jack Plummer spoke at Ballman's funeral, one of two officers on his force gunned down last Thursday night. A third Kirkwood officer, Sgt. William McEntee, was shot to death July 5, 2005.

"We all know police work has inherent dangers," Plummer said. But no officer goes into the job to deal with some of the acts seen in the world and Kirkwood in recent years, he added.

"Frankly, that has got to stop," he said.

Looking into a crowd of more than 1,000 mourners, including a sea of police officers in uniform, he made a pledge on behalf of law enforcers: "Never again," he said, his voice breaking. "Never again."

On Thursday, Charles Lee "Cookie" Thornton killed officer William Biggs Jr. outside of city hall, then went into a city council meeting and killed Ballman, Lynch, Councilwoman Connie Karr and Public Works director Ken Yost, whose memorial service was Monday. Police shot and killed Thornton.

Mayor Mike Swoboda was shot and remains in critical condition. A newspaper reporter, Todd Smith, was shot and has been released from the hospital.

Survivors of Ballman, 37, include his wife, Cindy, and two children, ages 5 and 3. On top of his flag-draped casket were two hats, from his time on the police force and in the Marines, where he rose to the rank of sergeant.

In Kirkwood, the Rev. Jack Costello offered words of comfort for about 650 people mourning Lynch's death at St. Peter Catholic Church.

Lynch, 63, had been a Kirkwood city councilman since 2000. He ran a business called Facilities Solutions Inc. and had served for more than two decades in the Army Reserve, including as the executive officer of a battalion-level unit.

Costello described Lynch as someone who loved flying, photography and golf but was most passionate about city government.

"Kirkwood's concerns became his concerns. It occupied his total attention, and often everyone else's in the family," he said in prepared remarks, noting that it wasn't unusual for Lynch to ask his wife, Sallie, to measure a street or diagram a group of trees.

Lynch's survivors also included two children.

Speakers at Tuesday's funerals say they hoped to carry on the civic work those killed believed in and were drawing strength from others in the community.

The Rev. Steven Ranney of St. Mark Presbyterian Church said every work day when Ballman put on his uniform he chose "to stand between the people of this community and those that would do him harm.

"We can choose the choice that Tom made, to love," he said.

Two services will be held Wednesday for Karr and Biggs.

The shooter, Thornton, 52, had a long and contentious relationship with city officials. He received numerous tickets in the community, often criticized elected officials and was arrested twice inside City Hall for disorderly conduct.

Thornton filed a federal lawsuit, claiming that his free-speech rights were violated because of the arrests. A judge last month threw out the suit, saying the city acted reasonably.