Three Ohio police officers were shot after a suspect ambushed them while they were eating lunch, according to officials.
On July 23, shortly after 1 p.m. local time, Lorain police officers Peter Gale and Phillip Wagner were parked in an industrial park when a suspect opened fire on their vehicles, striking both of them, according to Michael Failing, acting chief of police for Lorain.
Brent Payne, the third officer on the scene, was also shot. Payne and Wagner were shot several times and airlifted to a nearby hospital for treatment. Gale was shot in the hand and was receiving medical treatment.
According to a press release issued on July 24, Elyria Police, which is conducting the investigation, identified the suspect as 28-year-old Michael Parker of Lorain. He was shot and pronounced dead at the scene, according to the release.
This was an ambush situation
According to Failing, Gale and Wagner had purchased pizza and were eating it in their patrol vehicles when they were shot.
The suspect had parked in the undeveloped industrial park, “lying in wait” with “an arsenal of weapons,” according to Failing.
“This was an ambush situation,” said Jim Welsh, Elyria police chief, during a news conference. “Again, this is a difficult day for the Lorain Police Department and the law enforcement community.”
According to Failing, this is the first major officer-involved shooting in Lorain, northeast Ohio, about 20 miles west of Cleveland, in 70 years.
The suspect had explosives in his car before shooting the police officers.
Elyria Police said in a release that officers on the scene contacted the Lorain County Bomb Squad after discovering “suspicious baggage” in Parker’s car.
According to the release, bomb technicians found “a significant quantity of improvised explosive materials” inside Parker’s car.
“The materials were safely removed and disposed of through a controlled detonation away from the crime scene,” according to the announcement.
According to the release, investigators searched Parker’s home in Lorain for evidence and found no explosives.
Colleagues transported wounded officers to the hospital
Failing claimed that assisting officers who responded to the scene “loaded up the wounded officers in patrol vehicles and drove them to the hospital themselves.”
“It’s a tragic day in the city of Lorain,” Mayor Jack Bradley said during the news conference.
Ohio Governor Mike Dewine also expressed concern for the officers involved in a social media statement.
“This situation reminds us that those who work in law enforcement risk their lives every day for the safety of their communities,” Dewine told the crowd. “We are so very grateful for the men and women who willingly and bravely serve and protect.”
Welsh stated that the investigation into the shooting is ongoing.
