Live updates: Lorain police officer who died following ambush remembered

LORAIN, Ohio (WJW) — One of the Lorain police officers shot in an ambush has died, the Lorain Police Department reported Thursday.

Officer Phillip Wagner, a 35-year-old who was hired with the department in 2022, died Thursday surrounded by those he loved at MetroHealth Medical Center in Cleveland, according to the department.

“Officer Wagner’s life and service to our city will never be forgotten,” Lorain’s Acting Police Chief Michael Failing said in a statement. “On behalf of the Wagner family, we extend our deepest gratitude to everyone who has reached out in support. 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. We ask the community to keep his loved ones in their thoughts and prayers as we come together to honor his memory, service, and ultimate sacrifice.”

Wagner’s body was moved from MetroHealth Medical Center to the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner’s Office Thursday evening.

The two other officers involved in the shooting remain hospitalized.

The man accused of ambushing three local officers has been identified as 28-year-old Michael Parker, according to the Lorain County coroner.

Parker — whose last known address was in Lorain — is accused of shooting in an ambush three Lorain officers on Wednesday afternoon.

As other officers swooped in, the 28-year-old suspect was killed in an exchange of gunfire. Wednesday, officials could not confirm whether the suspect was shot and killed by officers or whether he died by suicide.

Thursday, Lorain County Coroner Dr. Frank Miller told the I-Team there was no evidence of self-inflicted gunshot wounds.  

Chief Failing told reporters on Wednesday that a gunman was “laying in wait” with an “arsenal of weapons” and opened fire on two Lorain police officers — Wagner and 51-year-old Peter Gale — who had parked side-by-side in their patrol cars to have lunch.

A third officer, 47-year-old Brent Payne, who responded to help was also shot.

The scene unfolded just after 1 p.m. at a dead end of an industrial parkway off of Colorado Avenue.

Wagner and Payne were shot multiple times and were still being treated on Wednesday evening, Failing said. The two were seriously wounded and flown to MetroHealth Medical Center in Cleveland, a Level I Trauma Center. Gale was shot in the hand and treated at a Lorain hospital.

Police loaded the injured officers into cruisers and raced them to the hospital while providing wound care.

Elyria police are now investigating the shooting. Police Chief James Welsh told reporters Wednesday afternoon the suspect ambushed the officers with a high-powered rifle, he said. The officers then returned fire.

The suspect was pronounced dead at the scene.

Lorain County Sheriff’s Office Maj. A.J. Torres confirmed to FOX 8 News 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 suspect is believed to have been the only person involved in the shooting.

Find the latest updates on this story in the live blog below: