A gunman opened fire on two Ohio police officers while they were eating lunch in their patrol vehicles on Wednesday, injuring both of them, authorities said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A third officer who responded to the scene was also injured in the shooting, which police described as an “ambush situation.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The suspect had parked at a dead end of an undeveloped industrial park in Lorain, located in northeast Ohio, and had an “arsenal of weapons with him,” Acting Lorain Police Chief Michael Failing said at a press briefing Wednesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The shooting unfolded around 1 p.m., after Lorain Police Department officers Peter Gale, 51, and Phillip Wagner, 35, had picked up pizza for lunch and were parked side-by-side at the dead end, Failing said. The suspect had parked at the dead end, he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“He was laying in wait and opened fire with multiple rounds at both of the officers who were sitting in their vehicles,” Failing said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A third Lorain officer who responded to a call for additional officers, 47-year-old Brent Payne, was then shot multiple times in his patrol vehicle, Failing said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Additional officers who responded to the scene helped treat their wounded fellow officers and drove them to an area hospital, according to Failing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Wagner and Payne both suffered multiple gunshot wounds and were airlifted to a hospital where they are undergoing treatment, Failing said. Gale was shot in the hand and is being treated at a hospital, he said.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Officers returned fire on the suspect, who was armed with a “high-powered rifle,” according to Elyria Police Chief James Welsh, who spoke at a separate briefing earlier Wednesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The suspect, described as a 28-year-old man, was shot on the scene and pronounced dead, Failing said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Police have not released the name of the suspect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Welsh said no other suspects have been located and they are “fairly confident” there was only one shooter. The area has been contained, he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Elyria Police Department is investigating the incident.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A motive is not known at this time, Welsh said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “This is a difficult day for the Lorain Police Department and the law enforcement community,” Welsh said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “It will take time to determine exactly what transpired here today,” he said.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine said he has been briefed on the shooting, saying it “appears to have been a targeted attack on law enforcement.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n “This situation reminds us that those who work in law enforcement risk their lives every day for the safety of their communities,” he said in a statement<\/a> on social media. “We are so very grateful for the men and women who willingly and bravely serve and protect.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ohio Sen. Jon Husted said his office has offered assistance to local officials.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “There is no place for this kind of violence in our state or country,” he said in a statement<\/a> on social media.<\/p>\n\n\n\n