LORAIN, Ohio — Hundreds of feet from the crime scene sits a daycare, Horizon Education Centers, that was forced into a soft lockdown for at least two hours Wednesday afternoon after a shooting happened that left three Lorain officers injured.
RELATED: 3 police officers shot during ambush in Lorain, 2 in serious condition; suspect is deceased
Center Director Rebecca Wisniewski said the daycare became aware of a potential officer-involved shooting through social media.
Once they saw the situation unfolding online and heard the sounds of several sirens outside, Wisniewski said the staff closed the curtains, locked the doors, and didn’t allow anyone inside or outside the building.
“We checked and rechecked our doors because they lock from the outside,” she said. “We contacted all of our families, so they knew immediately. We also posted on our social media page and then, of course, I contacted our administrators above me to let them know what was going on.”
The staff didn’t want to scare the children, so they kept quiet on what was happening outside.
“I was proud of my employees because they were handling phone calls and keeping the kids safe. They weren't upset. The kids didn't know what was going on,” Wisniewski said.
Both employees and kids were safe, but Wisniewski said the whole situation still shook her to her core.
Wisniewski acknowledged Lorain has crime, but said nothing to this extent has ever happened before.
“I have police officers that are friends and just knowing that in our sweet little community here that something so awful happened, so still a little heated up, and praying for those who are going through the unimaginable,” Wisniewski said.
The daycare’s lockdown was lifted shortly after 4 p.m., and as News 5 arrived, parents were scrambling to pick up their children.
Horizon Education Centers will operate as normal on Thursday.
Meanwhile, the investigation into how and why this shooting remains underway.
Lorain City Councilman-At-Large Tony Dimacchia was one of the first city officials on scene Wednesday afternoon.
“Our officers coming down Colorado at the rate of speed they're coming down, I knew something wasn't right,” Dimacchia said. “I went in that direction… not knowing what had occurred, who was hurt, if anybody was hurt. It was tense. It was emotional.”
Dimacchia said SWAT teams were immediately on scene as well as several surrounding law enforcement agencies.
He said he figured the situation involved guns but never would have thought three Lorain officers would be shot.
“As far as my recollection, this city has never seen a violent act as such as this. Do we have crime? Absolutely. Are we aware of the crime? Absolutely,” Dimacchia said. “Are we united as a community and leadership to try to combat that crime? Absolutely, and it's hard. Gun violence is everywhere and it's hard to peg down. This is a prime example of them putting their lives at risk to keep us safe.”
Dimacchia confirmed the Lorain County Prosecutor’s Office issued search warrants on the suspect’s home and vehicle Wednesday night.
A News 5 team sat and watched as several police officers, a bomb squad, and a SWAT team swarmed the home.
No confirmation if an explosive or weapons were found inside the home as of Wednesday night.
Dimacchia said at least one bomb was found in the suspect’s vehicle.
Around 7:30 p.m., an explosive detonated in a controlled area overseen by authorities. A second detonation went off 15 minutes later.
The location of those detonations is unknown, but again, those were set off in a controlled area by law enforcement.
“This individual, whatever his reasons, he was prepared for war, and I will never understand why. [I’m] saddened by the incident and just wish we were talking about something different at this point in time,” Dimacchia said.
Dimacchia said he didn’t personally know Officer Wagner or Officer Gale but had become friends with Officer Payne.
“We pride ourselves on recruiting good officers here. Our officers are some of the best trained in the state of Ohio and we're proud about that, but you can never be prepared for something that unfolded today,” Dimacchia said.
He said the city will likely, in the coming days or weeks, find a way to honor the bravery of the three police officers.
Lorain city offices will be closed for the remainder of the week.
“We need our police department to heal, and our focus should be on these officers and their families,” Dimacchia said.
Lots of support poured in from around the state Wednesday evening.
RELATED: Support pours in for Lorain officers who were shot
