Ex-city manager killed after shooting at official in public meeting to protest property taxes

A former city manager was killed Tuesday morning after he pulled a gun during a public meeting to dispute his property taxes.

Francis "Gus" Glaser, who previously served as city manager of Maquoketa, Iowa, died from a gunshot wound to the head as he struggled with an elected official.

The 71-year-old Glaser pulled the handgun from a briefcase and pointed it at the county assessor at the conclusion of the weekly meeting of Jackson County's board of supervisors.

He fired one shot but missed County Assessor Deb Lane, and one of the County Supervisor Larry Koos attempted to take the gun away from Glaser.

A second shot was fired during the struggle, but investigators aren’t sure whether Glaser intended to shoot himself or if the gun accidentally discharged.

"He still had the gun in his hand and the trigger finger in the trigger," said Chief Brad Koranda, of Maquoketa police.

Koos was injured when his arm crashed through a glass door during the struggle, and he received stitches afterward.

Glaser, who had served as city manager during the 1990s, had complained for years about increasing property taxes.

The courthouse does not have permanent security measures in place, although a metal detector wand is used during some high-profiled court cases.

Watch this video report posted online by KWWL-TV:

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[Image: Handgun lying on side via Shutterstock]