23-year-old Ohio police officer killed in ambush, suspect found dead: authorities

EUCLID, Ohio (AP) — An Ohio police officer was shot and killed after he was “ambushed” while responding to a disturbance call over the weekend, authorities said Sunday.

Police in the Cleveland suburb of Euclid said officers were dispatched to a home shortly before 10 p.m. Saturday after a reported disturbance.

“While police were investigating, a gunman ambushed an officer and struck him with gunfire,” police said. The officer was taken to a hospital but died from his injuries, police said.

Authorities said the suspected shooter, identified as Deshawn Anthony Vaughn, was also dead, Nexstar’s WJW reported. He was tracked to an address in Shaker Heights on Sunday afternoon and was found dead inside the residence after a standoff.

Police said the suspect was heavily armed. It is not yet clear how the man was killed.

Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost identified the slain officer as 23-year-old Jacob Derbin and said he was in his first year with the department.

“It is a cruel irony that a mother lost her son on Mother’s Day and that this murder occurred just as we were preparing to honor our fallen during Police Memorial Week,” Yost said in a statement. “My heart burns with anger at this injustice, for the family of this young officer and the Euclid Police Department.”

Euclid police in a statement early Sunday asked people to “keep the fallen officer, his family, loved ones and our agency in your thoughts and prayers.”

“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.

Mayor Kirsten Holzheimer Gail said in a statement on Sunday: “We are struggling with a deep sense of sadness and disbelief.” The mayor called on the community to “come together in solidarity and support, not just to honor a hero who selflessly sacrificed us served and protected, but also to give strength to one another in this time of grief.”