LORAIN, Ohio (AP) — An officer in Ohio has lost his life after being ambushed by a shooter lying in wait, as he and another officer were parking to eat pizza in a secluded, undeveloped area, Lorain police announced on Thursday.
Officer Phillip C. Wagner, 35, of the Lorain police, was airlifted to a trauma center following the attack on Wednesday afternoon in the city situated west of Cleveland, according to a police statement. It further reported that he passed away with his family by his side at MetroHealth Medical Center in Cleveland.
The shooting wounded Wagner’s partner as well as a third officer who responded to their call for help.
Authorities have identified the attacker as Michael Joseph Parker, 28, a resident of Lorain, who was declared dead following a gunfire exchange. They report that he acted independently, and police have not disclosed details regarding any motive.
The department said Wagner joined the force in early 2022 after serving with the U.S. Marine Corps and the Sheffield Village Police Department. His colleagues called him a respected and beloved officer known for dedication, professionalism and compassion.
Acting Lorain Police Chief Michael Failing said Wagner’s life and service “will never be forgotten.”
“Our department mourns the loss of a true hero and stands in unwavering support of Officer Wagner’s family, friends, and fellow officers during this heartbreaking time,” Failing said.
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine directed that Ohio and U.S. flags be flown at half-staff on public buildings until sunset on the day of Wagner’s funeral.
Police said investigators found multiple rifles, handguns and loaded magazines in and around Parker’s vehicle, along with “a significant quantity of improvised explosive materials.”
An autopsy on Parker showed he was killed by multiple gunshot wounds fired by police officers, said the Lorain County coroner, Dr. Frank Miller.
Parker’s bullet wounds “are not self-inflicted,” Miller said in phone interview after the Thursday autopsy. “It’s during the gun battle.” He said toxicology test results will take a few weeks.
A second officer suffered multiple gunshot wounds and was in critical condition after being flown to the trauma center, according to a statement issued by the Ohio Fraternal Order of Police. The third officer was shot in the hand, according to Failing. The wounded officers are Peter Gale, 51, and Brent Payne, 47.
Just before the ambush, Wagner and Gale parked to eat pizza on a dead-end street in a remote, undeveloped area of Lorain that overlooks a river and a steel mill. Payne was shot after responding to their call, Failing said.
“Officers returned fire during the exchange, which ultimately resulted in Parker sustaining a fatal injury,” according to statement from police in nearby Elyria who are handling the investigation.
Parker lived with his parents in a tidy, two-story brick home in Lorain, a city along Lake Erie west of Cleveland. Neighbors said Thursday they often saw him walking the family dog to the nearby beach, but he rarely engaged in conversation, and never saw him with friends.
“He was just an odd character,” said Jody Burnsworth, who has lived next door to the family since 2012. “He wasn’t rude. He was just always quiet. When he walked he looked like he was always ultra-focused on something.”
She said she always had an uneasy feeling about him, never opening her bedroom drapes on the side of the house that faced his home.
“I hate that I thought that,” she said. “He kind of gave me the creeps. Sometimes he would just look at you in an odd way.”
Parker’s home was searched for more than five hours Wednesday night. Officers broke an upstairs window and flew in a drone during the search, Burnsworth said.
Parker’s father grew up in the house, and neighbors described the couple as very sweet.
Burnsworth said that during the past year Parker was hired at the post office but soon quit because the work was too difficult.
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Scolforo reported from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
