An act of kindness in the hours following the shooting death of police officer Blake Snyder has St. Louis County police saying thanks to an unknown Good Samaritan.
The memory of Thursday morning's shooting still weighs heavily on St. Louis county police lieutenant Karl Bulla.
“Obviously the most stressful event that the police department can face is the loss of an officer,” said Bulla, president of the St. Louis County Police Welfare Association.
As news of officer Snyder’s death spread, his family, friends and fellow officers gathered to mourn. As the hours went on their hunger deepened with their grief.
Officer Snyder’s family asked for food from Chick-Fil-A. Bulla and his partner went to the location in Chesterfield with a $500 order for about 60 people. They say the act of kindness that followed nearly brought both the men to tears.
“The young lady behind the counter said I just want to let you know this is taken care of. We're like, ‘No, the Welfare Association's going to pay for it.’ She's like, ‘No, it wasn't taken care of by us, although we would've done that. It was taken care of by a gentleman who, don't tell him, but he's sitting right behind you.’”
“It's emotional, you know? And that's the thing that gets officers through this. It get us through this because the public, I think, are generally good. They support the police department.”
Bulla and his partner thanked the man, who told them he wanted to remain anonymous. He then told the story of how last July officers caught in his back yard the man who allegedly shot Ballwin police officer Mike Flamion.
The man said the restaurant gesture was his way of saying thanks for keeping his family safe.
While county officers work on ways to honor the memory of officer Snyder they also hope to honor the actions of the stranger at Chick-Fil-A.
“You've got my card. I'd love for you to call me because we want to take care of you. If I can just buy you a coffee or take you out to lunch somewhere it's the least I can do for you.”
The St. Louis County Police Welfare Association and the West County Citizen's Police Academy Alumni Association are helping to raise money for Officer Snyder's Family by hosting mouse races on October 14th.
You can get information about tickets and other fundraisers by clicking here.
