EUCLID, Ohio – An Ohio police officer was shot and killed after being “ambushed” while responding to a disturbance call over the weekend, and a suspect was being sought, authorities said Sunday.
Police in the Cleveland suburb of Euclid said officers were dispatched shortly before 10 p.m. Saturday to a home after a reported disturbance.
“While police were investigating, an armed man ambushed an officer, striking him with gunfire,” police said. The officer was taken to the hospital but succumbed to his injuries, police said. Multiple law enforcement agencies were involved in the search for the person responsible, authorities said. WKYC reported that residents living on the streets reported hearing about a dozen gunshots.
Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost identified the slain officer as Jacob Derbin and said he was in his first year with the department.
Yost promised that the person responsible “will be found and will receive full justice.” Yost’s office posted photos online of the 24-year-old suspect and the wanted vehicle.
“It is a cruel irony that a mother lost her son on Mother’s Day and that this murder happened as we prepare to solemnize his death during Police Memorial Week,” Yost said in a statement. “My heart burns with anger for this injustice, for this young officer’s family and for the Euclid Police Department.”
Euclid police asked in a statement Sunday morning that people “keep the fallen officer, his family, loved ones and our agency in their thoughts and prayers.”
“He was an incredible human being. Just a big heart. He had an incredible smile. The world is a better place with him in it,” said Euclid Police Chief Scott Meyer.
Mayor Kirsten Holzheimer Gail said in a statement Sunday that “we find ourselves struggling with a deep sense of sadness and disbelief.” The mayor called on the community “to come together in solidarity and support, not only to honor a hero who selflessly served and protected us, but also to offer strength to each other in this time of mourning”.
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