Red Bud officer who fatally shot suspect appears justified, state’s attorney says
A man shot and killed by a Red Bud police officer early Sunday was driving a motorcycle at excessive speeds and carrying a backpack full of methamphetamine, according to the Randolph County prosecutor.
Preliminary information indicates the shooting was justified, State’s Attorney Jeremy Walker said Monday during a news conference at the county courthouse in Chester.
Red Bud police officer Luke Horrell shot Timothy J. Snyder, 27, of St. Charles, Missouri, just before 1:30 a.m., after Snyder shot officer Michael Collins in the leg during a struggle, Walker said.
Snyder was pronounced dead at the scene. Collins was taken by ambulance to Mercy Hospital South in St. Louis, where he was treated and released.
Horrell has been placed on administrative leave pending an Illinois State Police investigation, per Red Bud police department protocol.
“As I’ve told Mr. Snyder’s family ... this is not a closed book,” Walker said. “... We’re not going to just sweep anything under the rug. We’re going to do our job. But based upon the information that we have ... At this time, it certainly appears that the officers were justified in the use of force.”
The shooting did not follow a high-speed chase. Just after midnight, however, Randolph County, Red Bud and Chester police began watching and following Snyder’s motorcycle as he drove around at speeds of up to 103 mph in the vicinity of Red Bud, Chester, Ellis Grove and Ruma, Walker said.
Police officers reported that Snyder was “all over the road” and ran through multiple stop signs; and that they tried twice to stop him for traffic violations, but he kept going.
Ultimately, Snyder ended up in a ditch off Illinois 3 at Powell Road and Clarence Drive in Red Bud, where his motorcycle apparently got stuck in the mud.
Collins stopped his squad car and confronted Snyder, which led to the struggle, Walker said. Horrell deployed a taser, but that effort failed to bring the situation under control.
“During that struggle, the male suspect removed a 9 mm handgun from his waist area and shot officer Collins in the right calf,” Walker said. “Officer Collins then radioed dispatch for an ambulance.
“Officer Horrell then told the suspect on repeated occasions to drop the weapon. He refused, and officer Horrell removes his 9 mm service weapon and discharges it four times. (The suspect) was pronounced dead at the scene.”
Red Bud police officers do not have body cameras, and the department’s squad cars do not have dashboard cameras. Walker said this is not uncommon in small jurisdictions.
Four members of Snyder’s family from the St. Louis area were present at the news conference. Afterward, they declined comment, except to say that they were shocked by what happened and that they wished they could see body-camera footage.
Illinois State Police investigators interviewed three witnesses who live in the area where the shooting occurred. All corroborated what the officers reported, Walker said.
Collins has been a police officer for 11 1/2 years, including more than a year with the Red Bud Police Department. Horrell, a nine-year veteran, has been with Red Bud for five years.
The motorcycle Snyder was driving had been reported stolen from St. Louis by an O’Fallon, Illinois, man. Snyder’s backpack contained scales, baggies, power tools and an unspecified amount of meth.
“It was a very large quantity of methamphetamine,” Walker said. “It was the biggest bag that I have ever seen (in 18 years as a prosecutor). It was over 100 grams in my estimation. ... It was a big, solid block.”
Snyder had previously been convicted of drug and weapons charges in Illinois and Missouri. That includes unlawful possession of a weapon by a felon, attempted escape, possession of meth, criminal damage to government property and obstructing identification in St. Clair County.
The last officer-involved shooting in Randolph County was in the 1970s, according to Sheriff Shannon Wolff.
This story was originally published May 24, 2021 at 5:10 PM.
