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

An Ohio police officer was shot and killed after being “ambushed” while answering a disturbance call over the weekend, authorities said Sunday.

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

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

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

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

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

Ohio's 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 happened just as we prepare to solemnize 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 asked in a statement early Sunday that people “keep the fallen officer, his family, loved ones, and our agency in your thoughts and prayers.”

“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 Euclid Police Chief Scott Meyer.

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.”