ST. LOUIS – Republican gubernatorial candidate Eric Greitens has offered condolences to the family of a slain police officer who was killed in the early morning hours of Oct. 6.
Blake Snyder, a 33-year-old police officer, was shot and killed last night after responding to a disturbance call in South St. Louis County. A suspect was also critically injured and is in custody.
Greitens offered this statement after the tragedy.
Sheena’s and my hearts go out to the family of Officer Blake Snyder, the St. Louis County Police Department, and the entire law enforcement community this morning. Officer Snyder was shot and killed in the line of duty, and he leaves behind a wife and a two-year-old son.
We are still—all of us—in the first hours of our grief. But what we know for certain is this: This loss will not be forgotten. Officer Snyder’s life, memory, and service will endure in the hearts of his family, his fellow officers, and all Missourians. We mourn his death, and we will remember and recall his life forever after.
Today, above all days, pray for our men and women in law enforcement. Pray for the memory of Officer Snyder, and for his widow and his son. Pray for the St. Louis County police department, who have lost one of their own. Let us on this day, above all days, be bound in our prayers, our grief, and our love for the men and women who keep us safe.
Snyder is the first St. Louis County Police officer to be killed in the line of duty since 2000. In July, Ballwin Police Officer Michael Flamion was shot during a traffic stop as a spat of shootings against police occurred around the country. Flamion was shot just a day after the Dallas police shooting in which five police officers were killed while overseeing a protest against police violence.
Democrat Chris Koster also offered a brief statement on Twitter.
“My deepest condolences to the officer’s family, Chief Belmar, and the St. Louis County Police Department for their tragic loss this morning,” he said.
