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Baltimore County Officer Killed Serving Warrant In Catonsville

CATONSVILLE, Md. (WJZ)—Fallen hero. A Baltimore County police officer was gunned down in the line of duty. Police Officer First Class Jason Schneider was killed Wednesday morning while serving a warrant.

Meghan McCorkell has more on how he's being honored.

The gunman who shot that officer, 25-year-old Tevon Smith, was taken to Shock Trauma, where he later died.

Police say the bulletproof vest worn by Officer Schneider stopped numerous bullets but one got underneath the armor.

Across the state, flags fly at half-staff in memory of Schneider.

Wiping away tears, Police Chief James Johnson announced the loss of one of his own.

"This is particularly hard. It's particularly had. He was a great guy," Johnson said.

Schneider and his tactical unit were serving a search warrant at a Catonsville home on Roberts Avenue. As the SWAT team entered the home, people started running. Schneider turned a corner inside the house and was shot multiple times. As he was falling down, he returned fire, hitting the gunman.

Schneider was rushed to Shock Trauma, where he died.

"We don't always appreciate what our police do for us every day, but it's times like that when we know how grateful we are," said Baltimore County Executive Kevin Kamenetz.

Schneider had been a police officer for 13 years and on the tactical team for nearly a decade.

Wednesday night, a wreath was laid at the police memorial to honor Schneider.

A Facebook page set up to remember him had nearly 5,000 followers in just a few hours. On it, a former colleague wrote Schneider "routinely was assigned one of the most dangerous jobs on the team--the first man through the door. He trained tirelessly for it to polish his skills and taught others how to do it as well."

Schneider was 36. He served in the U.S. Marines, was the father of two children and the son of a retired Baltimore City police officer.

Funeral services will be held this Saturday at 10 a.m. at St. Bartholomew Roman Catholic Church in Manchester.

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