A national organization, Concerns of Police Survivors (C.O.P.S.), is wrapping its collective arms around the Lorain Police Department after three officers were ambushed in Lorain Wednesday.
When David Leo, president of the Ohio Chapter of C.O.P.S., heard about the shooting, it brought back painful memories over the tragic loss of his son, Girard Police Officer Justin Leo.
"We're the club nobody wants to be in. All of us are police survivors," said David Leo. "It's a gut punch. They never make any sense. Policemen shouldn't have targets on their back."
Leo and his wife Patricia spoke to News 5 back in 2017 after Justin was shot and killed while on a domestic call in the city of Girard in Trumbull County.
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"We're seeing the village is going to be here to say goodbye to our son," Leo said while fighting back tears back in 2017.
Now, C.O.P.S.— which helps families of officers killed in the line of duty— will be there for the family of Lorain Police Officer Phillip Wagner, who died on Thursday at MetroHealth.
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Leo said they will assist the family with coordinating benefits and be by their side for ongoing emotional support in the coming days, months and years.
"We'll be at the calling hours, passing out blue ribbons. We'll meet with the family," said Leo, "We're the organization that they can call at two in the morning when things are not going well at all, and that happens frequently."
Leo said Ohio C.O.P.S. also reached out to Lorain PD on Friday to offer support and let the department know they're thinking about the two officers recovering from the shooting, Officer Peter Gale and Officer Brent Payne.
"Each of us knows what they're going through. While we will all travel the path differently, we all travel the path the same way," Leo said.
Here's the latest on the condition of those two officers:
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Leo said the support from the brotherhood and sisterhood in blue will remain strong, and community support— like what was seen at a vigil in Lorain Thursday night— goes a long way.
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He would know.
"We continue to see support as well as well the families in Lorain. This doesn't go away in a week or two. These are heroes and they're going to be remembered forever," Leo said.
