Lewis Thomas Snyder
Agency patch
Night Watchman

Lewis Thomas Snyder

Roscoe Police Department — Roscoe, TX
Felonious
End of Watch August 4, 1966
Age 65
Tour of Duty 1 yrs
The Vigil Panel 101 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Night Watchman Lewis Snyder was shot and killed with his own weapon after surprising a juvenile burglary suspect at a local store.

The suspect approached Watchman Snyder, who was still sitting in his patrol car, and pointed an empty gun at him. The boy then took the marshal's .45 caliber service revolver, ordered him from the car, and then shot him three times.

The suspect fled to Fort Worth, where he was apprehended the following day; he was convicted and sentenced to 10 years probation.

Watchman Snyder had served with the Roscoe Police Department for a year and had previously worked as a railroad engineer.

Survivors

He was survived by his wife, five daughters, a son, and 10 grandchildren.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-TX-B66C3325
Stewardship
Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
Added to badge.nw
April 2, 2026
Last updated
July 23, 2026

Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.

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Tributes

You barely got started.
Night Watchman Snyder gave the Roscoe Police Department 1 year.
Thank you for your service to the Roscoe community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Night Watchman Snyder.

— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993

Agency

Location Roscoe, TX
Platform Identity rpd.nolan.tx.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch August 4, 1966
Tour of Duty 1 yrs
Age 65
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious
Cause Detail Gunfire
Weapon Officer's handgun
Offender Convicted, 10 years probation

Night Watchman Lewis Thomas Snyder is one of 17,623 officers killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 54.2% of all 32,508 officers honored here.

In TX, 1,463 of 2,421 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 60.4% of this state's fallen. That is 6.2 percentage points above the national rate of 54.2%.

Roscoe Police Department
1
of 1 officers
100% Felonious
TX — Statewide
1,463
of 2,421 officers
60.4% Felonious
Nationwide
17,623
of 32,508 officers
54.2% Felonious

National Cause Distribution

How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Lewis Thomas Snyder's cause is highlighted.

Felonious
17,623 (54.2%)
Accident
10,088 (31%)
Illness
2,974 (9.1%)
Cardiac
1,306 (4%)
Undetermined
260 (0.8%)
Suicide
256 (0.8%)
vehicular
1 (0%)

How Lewis Thomas Snyder Compares

Age at End of Watch
65
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 39.0 years
Years of Service
1
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 8.5 years

Offender Outcome

Convicted, 10 years probation

When Felonious Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. Lewis Thomas Snyder is highlighted in Aug.

Jan
1,392
Feb
1,295
Mar
1,373
Apr
1,517
May
1,505
Jun
1,443
Jul
1,587
Aug
1,516
Sep
1,553
Oct
1,371
Nov
1,447
Dec
1,624

Weapons Used Against Officers

Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. Lewis Thomas Snyder was killed by officer's handgun.

Gun; Unknown type
5,083
Handgun
2,077
Shotgun
922
Officer's handgun
909
Automobile; Alcohol involved
530
Rifle
518