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An Ohio police officer investigating a call of a disturbance at a home was fatally shot Saturday night in what authorities described as an “ambush” by an alleged gunman who was found dead Sunday.
Euclid Police Chief Scott Meyer said Sunday that Officers were dispatched to a home in Euclid, Ohio, just before 10 p.m. local time in a residential area when a caller said she and her child were threatened by the child’s father. Euclid, Ohio, is about 15 miles northeast of Cleveland. Capt. Mitchell Houser, a spokesperson for the Euclid Police Department, said in a statement that “while police were investigating, a gunman ambushed an officer, striking him with gunfire.” Houser said the mortally wounded officer, identified as Officer Jacob Derbin, was taken to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead. No other officers were injured.
Authorities said the suspect, identified as 24-year-old Deshawn Anthony Vaughn, was found dead by gunshot on Sunday afternoon in a home in Shaker Heights, Ohio. Law enforcement officials would not elaborate on how the suspect died, or say if officers and the suspect exchanged gunfire.
According to the Euclid Police Department, Officer Derbin, 23, was a military veteran and had been with the police department for less than a year, and was engaged to be married in July. In a press release, officials noted that Derbin’s father is an active officer on the Euclid police force: “Officer Derbin was proudly sworn in to the Euclid Police Department on July 24th, 2023. During his brief time with the department, he served the residents and business owners of Euclid, as well as his fellow Officers with dedication, honor, and professionalism. His kind heart and enormous smile were infectious. he world was a better place with him in it and he will be desperately missed by all who knew him.”
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