Illinois State Police are leading an investigation into an early Sunday morning shootout near Red Bud that left a Missouri man dead and a police officer injured.
Randolph County State's Attorney Jeremy Walker held a news conference Monday afternoon to provide preliminary details about the incident.
He says 27-year-old Timothy Snyder of St. Charles, Missouri died at the scene.
Walker says police tried to conduct a traffic stop on Snyder as he drove a motorcycle in excess of 100 miles an hour at times throughout the county.
Snyder's motorcycle came to a stop when it became stuck in a muddy ditch along Route 3 near Red Bud. That's when Red Bud police officers Michael Collins and Luke Horrell tried to subdue Snyder.
"During that struggle, the male suspect removed a 9mm handgun from his waist area and shot Officer Collins in the right calf. Officer Collins then radioed dispatch for an ambulance. Officer Horrell then told the suspect on repeated occasions to drop the weapon. He refused. Officer Horrell removes his 9mm service weapon and discharges it four times and the suspect deceased."
Walker says Snyder still had rounds in his gun and at this point the officer involved shooting appears to be justified. He says three witnesses who live in the area backed up the officers' account.
Snyder -- who has a criminal record -- had over 100 grams of methamphetamine in his possession. The motorcycle was stolen from St. Louis.
The Randolph County Sheriff's Department says this is the first officer-involved shooting in the county in over 40 years.
