St. Louis County Police Chief Jon Belmar addresses reporters at an October 6, 2016 news conference. Photo Bill Greenblatt/UPI
A St. Louis County Police officer has been killed, after being shot early Thursday morning while getting out of his car to respond to a disturbance call in Green Park, a suburb.
Flags in St. Louis County are now at half-mast for 33-year-old officer Blake Snyder. St. Louis County Prosecutor Bob McCulloch has called a news conference for Thursday afternoon at 3 in Clayton, regarding the incident.
Police Chief Jon Belmar spoke to reporters at a Thursday morning news conference, saying another officer witnessed the early-morning incident in Green Park. Belmar says the incident happened at about 5:06 a.m. and that Officer Snyder gave the suspect commands.
“The suspect produced a pistol, and he shot Officer Snyder point-blank,” Chief Belmar told reporters.
Belmar says an assisting officer shot and critically injured the 18-year-old suspect.
Belmar says there was another witness to the shooting.
“That was probably the person who originally called the police department for this. We did recover the suspect’s weapon on the scene. There is certainly more to this investigation,” Belmar says.
Belmar says the officer did not have a dashboard or body camera.
The suspect was reportedly trying to get in the door of a home in Green Park, which is near the South County Mall. That’s when residents called St. Louis County Police.
While Belmar did not share the name of the suspect, he says the Department knows him.
“I do know he has a felony narcotics case. In fact, I know that Officer Snyder is part of that case, I’m not drawing a line here, I’m just saying he was involved in that case also. Beyond that, it’s hard to comment,” Belmar says.
The chief describes the area of the shooting as typically quiet.
Belmar says Snyder leaves behind a wife and a two-year-old son. Belmar also praises Mehlville firefighters and St. Anthony Hospital staff for their efforts to save Snyder.