Three Lorain Officers Shot While Eating Lunch, Suspect Killed

Three Lorain Officers Shot in What Police Call an Ambush

LORAIN, Ohio — It happened fast. Two Lorain officers, Phillip Wagner and Peter Gale, had just parked their cruisers at the end of Missouri Ave to eat lunch. It was just after 1 p.m. Wednesday. Calm. Quiet. Then, shots rang out.

A 28-year-old man sat in a nearby car, armed with several weapons. According to police, he waited and then opened fire with a rifle.

Bullets struck Wagner and Gale multiple times. When Officer Brent Payne arrived after their call for help, gunfire hit him too — a round caught his hand before he could get out of his vehicle.

Officers on scene returned fire and shot the gunman, killing him. Investigators say he acted alone. There’s no ongoing threat.

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Medics airlifted Wagner and Gale to MetroHealth in serious condition. Payne went to Mercy Health for treatment — his injuries weren’t life-threatening.

“This was an ambush. Pure and simple,” said Deputy Chief Mike Failing. “They were just eating. Didn’t even get out of their cars.”

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Backup officers swarmed in. Some pulled the wounded to safety and started treating them in the field. Later, the bomb squad handled a controlled detonation nearby as a precaution — nothing dangerous, just routine.

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Mayor Jack Bradley called it a hard day. “But we’re strong,” he said.

Neighbors described the area as usually quiet — a place where people hang out, where police sometimes monitor traffic. But not like this.

John Keaney, who drove from Old Brooklyn to the hospital, stood outside waving a flag. “They’ve got targets on their backs,” he said. “I had to be here.”

The city closed its offices for Thursday and Friday, a gesture of respect.

The Elyria Police Department and Lorain County Prosecutor’s Office are leading the investigation.