Officer Schnarr was shot and killed while investigating a disturbance at a restaurant at 1403 Chouteau Street. A patron, George Wiggins, had been barred from the restaurant several days earlier for having several unpaid bills. The man appeared at the restaurant with a revolver and started making a commotion stating he was "going to clean out your dump." The restaurant owner's wife pushed the man out of the door and locked it. The man then began banging on the door and yelling. As Officer Schnarr approached to see what was happening the suspect suddenly turned and shot him three times, killing him almost instantly. The suspect fled on a train but was later apprehended in Kimmswick, Missouri.

Officer Schnarr had been with the agency for five years, joining in 1905. He was survived by his wife and two children. His wife reported that Officer Schnarr had a premonition of danger that morning and had been reluctant to leave for work kissing his wife who would never see him again. Interred: New St. Marcus Cemetery.