Euclid, Ohio: Police officer shot, killed after ambushed by gunman

Paul Kiska, Laura Morrison, Ed Gallek, Darcie Loreno and Peggy Gallek

5 hours ago

EUCLID, Ohio (WJW) – The Euclid police officer killed in the line of duty Saturday night has been identified as 23-year-old Jacob Derbin, according to the Cuyahoga County coroner.

Authorities said Sunday evening that the manhunt for the suspected shooter, identified as Deshawn Anthony Vaughn, was over.

He was tracked to an address in Shaker Heights on Sunday afternoon, and after a standoff he was found dead there. An investigation is ongoing and is being conducted by the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation. He was heavily armed. It is still unclear how the man was killed, police said.

Euclid Police Chief Scott Meyer told I-TEAM that Officer Derbin was an “incredible” person and Meyer and the entire department were “devastated.”

The officer was a military veteran and had been on the force for less than two years.

According to Euclid police, officers were dispatched to a home in the 300 block of East 211th Street about a disturbance Saturday around 9:56 p.m. While police were investigating, a gunman ambushed Derbin and hit him with gunfire, police said.

Derbin was taken to an area hospital but did not survive.

On Sunday evening, Euclid police released more information about the shooting, saying a woman called authorities and said the father of her child had threatened to “harm her and her mother.”

Upon arrival, police spoke with the woman who said the suspect was likely nearby. The ambush occurred in the backyard of the home. No other officers were injured in the shooting and the suspect fled the scene when the officer returned fire.

“The Euclid Police Department asks that you keep the fallen officer, his family, loved ones and our agency in your thoughts and prayers,” a police statement said.

“He was an amazing person. Just a great heart. Had an incredible smile. The world is a better place with him,” said Euclid Police Chief Scott Meyer.

Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost issued the following statement on Derbin’s death:

“The promise of protection is signed with the blood of our officers. The murderer who ambushed Officer Derbin is found and receives the full measure of justice. It is a cruel irony that a mother lost her son on Mother’s Day and that this murder occurred just as we are preparing to commemorate our fallen during Police Memorial Week. My heart burns with anger at this injustice, for the family of this young officer and the Euclid Police Department.”

Derbin was in his first year with the department.

The Euclid Police Department requested assistance from the Attorney General’s Criminal Investigation Division in the investigation of the critical incident involving the officer.

After Derbin’s death, Gov. Mike DeWine ordered some flags across the state to be lowered to half-staff.

This is a developing story. For more information, visit Fox 8 and Fox8.com.