Missouri cop, 33, is shot and killed 'point blank' by 18-year-old suspected drug dealer: Officer leaves behind two-year-old son and wife
- Blake Snyder, 33, was killed by the white male suspect at 5am on Thursday
- Police said the teen shot at Snyder 'almost immediately' after he arrived
- The officer was hit at point blank range and died at the scene
- A second officer returned fire and shot the teen, who is in critical condition
- Snyder, who has a two-year-old son, is department's first death in 16 years
Blake Snyder, 33, was shot and killed by an 18-year-old suspect during an early morning shootout in Green Park, Missouri, on Thursday
A Missouri police officer was shot and killed by an 18-year-old suspect during an early morning shootout in a small middle-class community on Thursday.
Blake Snyder, 33, has been identified as the slain St. Louis County police officer.
He leaves behind a wife and a two-year-old son.
Snyder was shot by the suspect, a white male, 'almost immediately' after he arrived on the scene with another officer at 5am.
Snyder was struck point-blank died instantly, Chief Jon Belmar told KSDK.
The second officer returned fire and injured the teen, who is currently in critical condition.
His name has not yet been released.
Authorities said Snyder and the second officer were responding to a disturbance call in Green Park when he was shot.
The suspect is connected to a felony narcotics case that Snyder was involved with, Belmar told CBS St Louis.
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Snyder was shot by the suspect, a white male, 'almost immediately' after he arrived on the scene (pictured) with another officer at 5am in response to a disturbance call
Snyder, who Belmar said was a 'great guy' and a dedicated cop, had worked at the St Louis County Police Department for four years.
He is the first officer at the department to be killed in the line of duty in 16 years.
Authorities were still at the scene of the shooting before noon on Thursday, with evidence markers covering the ground.
Belmar said there were no dash cams or body cameras in use at the time of the shooting.
The second officer returned fire and injured the teen, who is currently in critical condition. Pictured are St. Louis County officers investigating the scene on Thursday morning
The emotion was visible on the officers' faces as they surveyed the scene. Snyder is the first St. Louis County cop to be killed in the line of duty in 16 years
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