A man with a firearm was reportedly ambushing on a secluded street in Ohio, where he opened fire and injured three police officers on Wednesday, according to officials.
The incident began when two officers had stopped their patrol cars to have lunch in an isolated industrial area in Lorain, a city located about 25 miles from Cleveland. A third officer, who arrived at the scene in response to their distress call, was also shot and critically wounded.
The two Lorain officers who were shot first have been named as Phillip Wagner, aged 35, and Peter Gale, aged 51. The third officer, who was responding to assist, was identified as 47-year-old Brent Payne.
The suspected gunman, who was “shot on scene,” has been identified as 28-year-old Michael Parker, according to the Lorain County coroner.
The incident unfolded just after 1 p.m. at a dead end of an industrial parkway off of Colorado Avenue in Lorain. Acting Police Chief Michael Failing told reporters Wednesday that the gunman was lying in wait at the location with an “arsenal of weapons” when he opened fire on the officers.
Police loaded the injured officers into cruisers and raced them to the hospital while providing wound care.
Wagner and Payne, who were shot multiple times, were airlifted to a Level I Trauma Center in Cleveland, and were still being treated on Wednesday evening, Failing said. Gale was shot in the hand and treated at a Lorain hospital.
An update on their condition has not been provided as of Thursday morning.
Elyria police are now investigating the shooting. Police Chief James Welsh told reporters on Wednesday afternoon that the suspect ambushed the officers with a high-powered rifle. The officers then returned fire.
The suspect was pronounced dead at the scene, though Welsh could not confirm whether the suspect was shot and killed by officers or whether he died by suicide.
Welsh said the man is believed to have acted alone.
The coroner tells Nexstar’s WJW that an autopsy will take place on Thursday.
Lorain County Sheriff’s Office Maj. A.J. Torres also confirmed to WJW that authorities found explosives in the suspect’s car at the scene of the ambush. Suspicious items were also found and removed from the suspect’s home on North Lakeview Boulevard, officials confirmed Wednesday night.
The Associated Press contributed to this report. This is a developing story.
