Euclid Police Officer Jacob Derbin, 23, was shot and killed May 11 after being “ambushed” while answering a disturbance call over the weekend.
Suspect Deshawn Anthony Vaughn fled after the shooting and was tracked down to Shaker Heights where he was held up inside an apartment during a SWAT situation on May 12.
According to U.S. Marshals, the suspect is deceased. He was heavily armed and had violent past. There was no confirmation if Vaughn was shot by officers or if he died by a self-inflicted gun shot. He reportedly had a high-tech machine gun.
“The search is over,” Euclid Police Chief Scott Meyer said during a news conference on May 12.
“My heart breaks and Derbin’s father is a current Euclid PO, Meyer said. “It is disgusting and it has to end, I go to bed every night going to bed hoping I don’t get this information. I ask the public to pray for Jacob and the community, this has to end. Is this as good as we can do? We have to do better.”
“I don’t want to lose the fact that a 23-year old (is gone) who is kind and compassionate and so proficient, a gentle giant, loved public service, and I am devastated,” Meyer added.
Meyer said Derbin was engaged and was set to marry in July.
Police in Euclid said officers were dispatched just before 10 p.m. Saturday to a home on East 211th Street due to a reported disturbance.
“While police were investigating, a gunman ambushed an officer, striking him with gunfire,” police said. The officer, whose name wasn’t immediately released, was taken to a hospital but succumbed to his injuries, police said.
“Multiple law enforcement agencies” were involved in a search for the person responsible, authorities said.
The Ohio attorney general’s office posted photos online of Vaughn, the 24-year-old suspect, and the vehicle being sought. WKYC reported that residents who live on the street reported hearing about a dozen gunshots.
Euclid police asked in a statement early Sunday that people “keep the fallen officer, his family, loved ones, and our agency in your thoughts and prayers.”
WJW reported that the officer was a military veteran.
“He was an amazing human being. Just a great heart. Had an incredible smile. The world’s a better place with him in it,” said Meyer said.
Mayor Kirsten Holzheimer Gail said in a statement Sunday that “we find ourselves grappling with a profound sense of sorrow and disbelief.” The mayor called on the community “to come together in solidarity and support, not only to honor a hero who selflessly served and protected us but also to offer strength to one another in this time of grief.”
News-Herald Staff Writer William Tilton and the Associated Press contributed to this story.
