Lorain County Ohio Sheriff: 100 Pounds of Explosives Found in Car of Gunman who Killed Lorain Police Officer

LORAIN, OH — Investigators found 100 pounds of explosives in the car of the man who killed a Lorain police officer and wounded two others last week, authorities said.

The explosives were powerful enough to cause a devastating blast had they been detonated, Lorain County Sheriff Jack Hall said Monday.

Parker loaded his vehicle with firearms, ammunition and explosives before parking Wednesday afternoon at the dead end of River Bend Drive near Colorado Avenue, police said.

About 1 p.m., he opened fire with a high-powered rifle on officers Peter Gale and Phillip Wagner after they arrived to eat lunch. Officer Brent Payne, who responded to assist, was also wounded.

Wagner died from his injuries Thursday at MetroHealth Medical Center. Parker was killed at the scene after officers returned fire.

After the attack, officers searched Parker’s car.

Hall told cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer that while processing the vehicle, officers discovered two suspicious containers in the trunk. The bomb squad identified them as 50-pound quantities of Tannerite.

The Tannerite discovered in Parker’s car “could have created an extremely dangerous situation,” Hall said. He added that just a half pound requires a minimum safety distance of 25 yards.

“If those were to go off, the car itself becomes shrapnel — glass, metal, everything flying,” Hall said. “With Tannerite, you don’t need a switch or trigger. A high-speed impact, like a bullet, is enough to set it off.”

Bill Halusek, the area supervisor and industry operations investigator with the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, told cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer that if a stray bullet from Parker’s rifle would have hit the Tannerite with enough speed, the explosion could have been catastrophic.

The sheriff’s bomb squad conducted a controlled detonation at the crime scene on Lorain’s east side Wednesday evening. Hall said the explosion was so powerful that people reported hearing and feeling it as far away as Avon Lake.

Tannerite, sold in sporting goods and gun shops across Ohio, is often used in small quantities in long-range target practice, as it allows shooters to see a small explosion if they hit their mark.

It’s legal to purchase and possess in its unmixed form. However, transporting it once it’s mixed with an aluminum catalyst and prepared, as it was found in Parker’s vehicle, is illegal, according to Halusek.

“You can have as much Tannerite as you want,” he said. “But once you mix, it now becomes a regulated product for the ATF, and it has to be used on site. If you don’t have a license, you could mix up eight ounces, and it would be illegal to transport it.”

Because Lorain officers discharged their weapons, Elyria police officers have taken over the investigation, with assistance from the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation.

Detectives are still working to determine Parker’s motive and where he obtained the weapons and explosives.

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