By Christine Byers
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
ST. LOUIS — The 30th annual Budweiser Guns ’N Hoses kicked off Wednesday with a moving tribute to fallen and injured officers, which included a surprise appearance by the St. Louis officer shot Sunday.
Sgt. Tom Lake, 46, appeared before the crowd of thousands inside the Scottrade Center. He was shot twice in the face during an ambush at Hampton and Pernod avenues Sunday.
3 days after he was ambushed & shot twice in the face, an emotional ovation for @SLMPD Sergeant @gunsnhosesstl @BackStoppers #STL pic.twitter.com/WeHb9OYlMB
— Casey Nolen KSDK (@CaseyNolen) November 24, 2016
A national nonprofit and local bank are sites accepting donations for officer recovering from two shots to the face.
The man believed to have shot him was killed in a shootout with police early Monday.
Lake got a standing ovation and thunderous applause from the thousands in attendance as he was introduced. Tears streamed down his face as he waved to the crowd.
One of his eyes looked bloodshot and he had a scab under his nose, but there were no other outward signs of injuries to the officer, who stood on a stage near the ring.
Elizabeth Snyder, the wife of fallen St. Louis County officer Blake Snyder, and her brother, Justin Sparks, also made an appearance at the event. The pair rang the ringside bell 10 times before the start of the 16-match charity boxing event that pits firefighters against police officers.
St. Louis City SWAT team and firefighters then rappelled from the rafters and onto the stage, where they gave commemorative medals to several supporters of the event, who were onstage.
Sarah Flamion was moved to tears when Lake was introduced. Michael Flamion said for Lake to sustain the injuries he did and be out in just a couple of days is “awesome.”
“Like all of us, he will keep fighting and pull through,” Flamion said.
There was a steady stream of visitors to his suite throughout the night. “It’s incredible to still see the support people are giving me,” he said. “It just amazes me.”
The event raises money for The Backstoppers Inc., which pays the debts of families of fallen first responders and gives donations to the catastrophically injured. This year’s event drew a record crowd of 18,038. Among those who attended were Gov.-elect Eric Greitens, Rep. Ann Wagner, R-Mo., St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay, St. Louis County Executive Steve Stenger and St. Louis police Chief Sam Dotson.
Proceeds from the event constitute about a third of the nonprofit’s annual budget and have generated a total of about $5.5 million over the past 30 years, organizers say.
This year, the event is honoring four fallen first responders and two paralyzed officers, Flamion and Hazelwood Officer Craig Tudor. Tudor remains at Craig Hospital in Englewood, Colo., undergoing rehabilitation.
Emotional Sgt. Tom Lake and Capt. Mike Deeba react to crowd at Guns ‘N Hoses. pic.twitter.com/pSPyMZVofz
— Christine Byers (@ChristineDByers) November 24, 2016