Ohio Police Chief: Gunman who Killed Officer 'Had a Deliberate and Evil Plan to Inflict Mass Casualties'

ELYRIA, OH — The gunman who killed a Lorain police officer and wounded two others in July fired 103 shots in the attack and was prepared to unleash thousands more, authorities said.

The shooter had more than 7,500 rounds of ammunition for 10 weapons and 100 pounds of explosives, officials said.

Lorain County Coroner Frank Miller said a medical history revealed that Michael Parker, 28, suffered from paranoid schizophrenia, but he had not taken medication in recent years. A toxicology screen also found no drugs or alcohol in his system.

Investigators are trying to understand Parker’s motive and whether he was specifically targeting police, officials said at a Thursday press conference.

Elyria police officials, who are investigating the incident for Lorain, provided the most detailed public accounting to date of the July 23 shooting and law enforcement’s response to it.

As police have investigated, they’ve constructed what they say is a more accurate timeline of the incident.

Initial reports depicted Parker as sitting in a tree line waiting for officers, with his rifles at the ready. But the investigation has revealed a different sequence.

Rather, officers Phillip Wagner and Peter Gale were eating lunch in the cul-de-sac when Parker drove his car near them and immediately opened fire, said Elyria Police Capt. Bill Lantz.

Parker sprayed 19 shots into Wagner’s cruiser, Lantz said.

“He had a deliberate and evil plan to inflict mass casualties,” Elyria Police Chief James Welsh said.

How the attack unfolded

At roughly 1 p.m. July 23, authorities said Wagner and Gale each parked their patrol cars at the dead end of River Bend Drive off Colorado Avenue when Parker drove by and opened fire.

Immediately, shots struck Wagner and “incapacitated” him, Lantz said.

Gale drove his car away from the cul-de-sac and called for backup. Payne was the first to arrive. As the officer sped to the scene, Parker began pulling out the scoped rifles and ammunition he had stashed in his car, according to Lantz.

In addition to the weapons and ammunition, Parker also brought cases of water, a cooler and hearing protection, indicating he planned to be shooting for hours, Lantz said.

Dashcam footage showed Parker frantically retrieving items from his car, including a cart police believe was intended to transport ammunition and weapons into the tree line, where it would have been even more difficult to stop the shooting, Lantz said.

Payne got out of his car and went to his trunk to grab his assault rifle. But before he could, rifle fire zipped around Payne’s head and smashed through the window of his cruiser.

Under fire, Payne ran away from the cruisers and toward the nearby woods for cover. He briefly returned shots with his handgun, but with Parker over 450 feet away, the officer’s gunfire was meant merely to suppress additional shots, Lantz said.

Payne was shot as he ran, crawling the remaining way to an area of woods. As Payne awaited first aid from his colleagues, he used his radio to warn the additional officers headed there.

“While (responding officers) are tending to him and providing medical care, he is still directing activities of other people,” Lantz said. “Before they pull him out, he’s looking out for his fellow officers, saying, ‘Do we have cover before you pull me out? Do we have cover?’”

Meanwhile, Gale was shot in the hand, taking him out of the firefight.

That’s when two SUVs full of Lorain police arrived. As some officers took cover and used their rifles to pin down Parker, others began to approach his position with their handguns drawn.

Some of them were wearing plain clothes, as they didn’t have time to change into their uniforms.

Five officers fired their weapons, striking Parker a dozen times and killing him. When authorities searched Parker’s car, they found the 10 weapons: seven rifles, two handguns and a shotgun, Lantz said. Parker had fired 84 shots from near his vehicle, police said.

The entire firefight lasted less than 10 minutes.

Police found the ammunition, most of which had been loaded round by round into a total of 294 magazines, Lantz said.

They also discovered 100 pounds of Tannerite, an explosive material that can be detonated if shot by a high-velocity bullet. A bomb squad later safely detonated the explosives.

Authorities believe Parker acted alone, but they are still searching for a motive.

“We want to understand the ‘why,’” Lantz said. He said there was “no note or manifesto.”

Parker was unemployed and lived with his parents in Lorain. Lantz said his family acknowledged that Parker had guns.

The victims

In the wake of Wagner’s death, law enforcement from throughout the area gathered to mourn the loss. Following several vigils and memorials, an estimated 3,000 people gathered at Rocket Arena for Wagner’s public funeral.

Wagner, of North Ridgeville, was a 35-year-old U.S. Marine Corps veteran who had just received his SWAT certification. He was a husband and father of three.

Lorain Police Chief Michael Failing said he expects Gale, who was shot in the hand with a rifle, to return to duty within six to eight weeks.

Payne’s injuries are more severe. The rifle shots struck him in the hip/upper leg area and in the arm. The wound to Payne’s arm, “completely shattered” the bone, Lantz said.

Last week, Payne had a major surgery, but Failing said the wounded officer expects to eventually rejoin the force.

“We don’t see him returning for at least a year,” Failing said. “However, I think he wants to return tomorrow. We’re going to have to lock the station doors to keep him out.”

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