Metro East Sun

To understand how much Blake Snyder was liked, one only had to see the crowd at Lewis and Clark Community College's soccer stadium on Oct. 15.

Snyder, an alumnus who played on the men's soccer team, was a police officer who was killed in the line of duty on Oct. 6.

The stadium holds approximately 300 people normally, Athletic Director Douglas Stolter told the Metro East Sun, but on that day, the Trailblazers' game with Parkland College, which included activities to honor Snyder, drew more than that -- much more -- as Stolter  estimated the crowd to be 500 to 600 people, with throngs of fans gathered along the stadium's fence and on the nearby hillside.

“That was fantastic,” Stolter said.

The school's website, lc.edu, said Snyder, a member of the St. Louis County Police Department, was killed near Affton, Missouri, while on duty. Snyder was a 2003 graduate of Lewis and Clark and wore No. 11.

Snyder's jersey was a prominent part of a fundraiser in his name held during the Oct. 15 game. T-shirts with his name and number were made and distributed to those who donated $10 or more to BackStoppers, which assists families of fallen public-safety personnel. Snyder is survived by his wife, Elizabeth, and their 2-year-old son.

Stolter said the T-shirt fundraiser brought in about $4,300, with other fundraising activities increasing the total to a little less than $7,000 as of Oct. 20.

Flags on campus were flown at half-staff in Snyder's honor until sunset Thursday, Oct. 13.

“One of our own was gone, and we just reacted to it and did what comes naturally,” Stolter said.

The Snyder family's ties to Lewis and Clark run deep, and Stolter said the respect for the family was strong.

According to lc.edu, Snyder's father, Dick, worked at the school over four decades. Dick started as an assistant and associate professor in biology in the 1970s, became the director of health and natural sciences in 1979, and was professor of chemistry from 1987-92. He then moved up to become vice president of administration from 1992-2001 and the dean of the Allied Health, Mathematics and Science Department from 2001-05 before retiring.

Adam Snyder, Blake's brother, attended the college from 1998-2000 and was an adjunct faculty member in hygiene from 2007-11.

Stolter, who said he coached Blake at his basketball camp and knew Dick Snyder well, said the campus was looking at it as a tragic loss of a law-enforcement officer, but also as an “absolute travesty” that was felt on campus, as well as in communities like Godfrey and Alton. Blake was a 2001 graduate of Alton High School.

“A lot of different people had a connection with that family,” Stolter said.

Parkland won 4-3 in the Trailblazers' final regular-season home game.

Stolter thinks the T-shirts are sold out, but said the school still was collecting donations, with all of them being sent to BackStoppers and designated for the Snyder family. Information on the charity is at backstoppers.org.

According to fox2now.com, the website for St. Louis TV station KTVI, Snyder was shot and killed responding to a disturbance call in Green Park. A suspect in the killing, Trenton Forster, pleaded not guilty Oct. 19 to charges of first-degree murder and armed criminal action.