Ohio officer killed in ambush at home

EUCLID, Ohio — An Ohio police officer was shot and killed after being “ambushed” while answering a disturbance call over the weekend, and a suspect was being sought, 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. Multiple law enforcement agencies were involved in a search for the person responsible, authorities said. WKYCTV reported that residents who live on the street reported hearing about a dozen gunshots.

Ohio’s attorney general, Dave Yost, identified the slain officer as Jacob Derbin and said he was in his first year with the department.

Yost’s office posted photos online of the 24-year-old suspect and the vehicle being sought.

“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.”

“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, WJW-TV reported.