Sons of Killed Officer Lead Out Manchester United

Manchester United described Blades as a “proud Red” and a regular presence at Old Trafford, and devoted a lengthy tribute to him in the matchday programme, calling him “a devoted family man and a police officer who dedicated his life to helping others”. The club added that some of his happiest hours had been spent watching United with his boys. The crash has left the surrounding region shaken. The Daily Mail reported that the collision happened roughly ten seconds after officers had abandoned a pursuit of the Passat, and that police have since made 24 arrests as part of a wider operation against organised crime in the area. Four of the five who died in the car had previous criminal convictions.

Tributes have extended well beyond Old Trafford. On Saturday, supporters observed a minute's applause for both officers before Middlesbrough's Championship fixture against West Bromwich Albion at the Riverside Stadium, where photographs of the two men were displayed on a screen. Mourners also gathered at a match between Seaton Carew and Hartlepool, two clubs where Blades had coached junior football. The BBC reported that match officials at Leeds United's game against Brentford wore black armbands because the referee, Tony Harrington, had been a friend of Blades. A message from a colleague, printed in the United programme, captured the mood, remembering “a husband, a father, a son, a brother, a friend, a police officer” and calling him “forever our superhero”.