Three Ohio police officers were shot, two of them multiple times, when a gunman opened fire on them while they were eating pizza in their patrol cars on Wednesday, according to the Lorain police chief.
The gunman, who was fatally shot on the scene, had a “arsenal” of weapons and was “lying in wait” when he opened fire on the two parked patrol vehicles around 1:05 p.m., according to acting Police Chief Michael Failing.
Mayor Jack Bradley stated, “It’s a tragic day in the city of Lorain.”
Two officers had bought pizza and were parked side by side in their patrol cars at the dead end of Missouri Avenue when the gunman opened fire, according to Failing.
According to Failing, one of the officers was shot in the hand, while the other was shot multiple times. According to him, a third officer was shot multiple times after hearing the call for help and driving to assist.
The two officers who had been shot multiple times were flown to a Cleveland hospital. They were in critical condition, Bradley explained.
The police department in neighboring Elyria is handling the investigation because it was an officer-involved shooting, according to officials.
On Wednesday, the gunman was identified only as a 28-year-old white man with a last known address in Lorain.
“This was an ambush situation,” Elyria Police Chief James Welsh explained to reporters.
The gunman opened fire on the officers with a “high-powered rifle,” according to Welsh. He said the police returned fire.
According to Failing, the shooting took place in an undeveloped industrial park with walking trails and streets.
Officers who responded to the call for assistance loaded the injured officers into patrol vehicles and drove them to the hospital, he explained.
Ohio Governor Mike DeWine described the shooting as a “horrible officer-involved shooting in Lorain, which appears to have been a targeted attack on law enforcement.”
“Fran and I are praying for the three Lorain Police Department officers who were shot in the line of duty today, and our thoughts are also with their families, friends, and fellow officers in northeast Ohio,” he said.
Failing was asked if he knew anything about the gunman, and he responded bluntly.
“I have no idea who he is, and I don’t care,” Failing explained.
Lorain and Elyria are cities with populations of approximately 65,000 and 53,000, respectively, located about 25 miles west of Cleveland.
