Relatives of people killed in Springfield shootings spoke at length during public comment to say the self-published book Bloodlines and Bullets by Beth Donahue includes inaccurate and, in some cases, false claims about victims that families say are damaging to survivors and could affect pending criminal cases.

"Not one family was contacted for information, and every family with loved ones featured has expressed serious concern over the plethora of inaccuracies, some of which are outright falsehoods," Melissa Timberman said while speaking on behalf of Heather William Sharp, the mother of victim Spencer Sharp. Timberman said the book “includes fabricated details” and criticized a chapter that, she said, misrepresents a prior police report and wrongly frames the victim in a domestic-violence narrative.

Several other family members and advocates spoke, named the 42 victims cited in the book and said the publication had put their families through additional trauma. Amanda Ovando, who identified a family member named Justin Smith among the missing and later victim list, said the book’s errors make a fair trial less likely and asked the commission to take action to have the book removed.

How the commission responded: Mayor Rob Ryu, other commissioners and staff told speakers they sympathize but explained local government has very limited authority to prevent or remove self-published material under the First Amendment. One summary read at the meeting stated: "In The United States, local government's ability to stop self publishing of a book is extremely limited due to the First Amendment rights protections." The mayor and commissioners encouraged families to consult attorneys and pursue civil remedies if they believe the book contains defamatory or otherwise unlawful content.

Commissioner Crystal (full name not provided at the podium) and others offered condolences and described meetings city staff and prosecutors had held with family members. Several commissioners also urged protestors and community members to remain peaceful.

What families asked for and next steps: speakers asked the city to intervene to have the book removed from circulation and to stop a planned follow-on publication. Commissioners said they had no legal route to unilaterally remove a self-published book and recommended seeking legal counsel; they also offered to share resources the city can provide after publication (for example, guidance on potential legal pathways). Multiple family members asked the commission to publicly support their requests for removal; commissioners said they could not legally order removal but would continue to meet with families and make referrals to prosecutors and legal resources.

No formal city action was taken at the meeting. Families and advocates said they will pursue legal options and continue public advocacy.