LORAIN, Ohio — More than four months after a man attacked Lorain Police, killing Officer Phillip Wagner and injuring Officers Peter Gale and Brent Payne, the investigation into the shooting has concluded.
Lorain County Prosecutor Tony Cillo announced Friday that law enforcement’s deadly force was justified as they staved off a barrage of high-powered gunfire from a heavily armed suspect. The prosecutor released the full, redacted investigative report after his ruling.
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Included in the 253-page document are photos, interviews and details from a complex investigation into Wagner’s murder and the fatal shooting of suspect Michael Parker.
Investigators acknowledge they may never know Parker’s true motive for the attack. A former coworker of the gunman told police he wished he had contacted Parker earlier because he may have been able to uncover relevant details.
The man previously worked with Parker at the U.S. Postal Service. A union representative there told police that Parker had worked with USPS for eight months and had been in trouble twice before being fired in recent years.
The coworker said he and Parker shared some political beliefs and maintained sporadic communication after Parker’s departure, most recently during the November 2024 election.
The man told investigators some other coworkers were alarmed by Parker’s affinity for assault rifles. After hearing that high-powered rifles were involved in the July 23 attack, some began speculating Parker could have been involved.
The speculation prompted the coworker to text Parker hours after the incident, saying, “Hey bud, crazy day in Lorain huh.”
At that point, Parker had already been dead for several hours.
The coworker and others interviewed by investigators remarked on Parker’s interest in guns, but also said they never thought the 28-year-old had extreme beliefs or violent tendencies.
In September, the Lorain County Coroner confirmed Parker had previously suffered several head injuries in his lifetime. Family told police some of the injuries caused headaches, affected his sensitivity to light, and they believed they led to a tendency to withdraw socially.
The coroner said Parker had been diagnosed in or around 2013 with paranoid schizophrenia and a psychotic thought disorder. He said no records indicated Parker had been receiving treatment or medication for his diagnosis in at least the last eight years.
Surveillance photos included in the report confirm family testimony that Parker stopped at a prayer chapel in Lorain on the morning of July 23 before he had plans to meet his brother and drive to the family cabin in Canada.
Other security photos show Parker packing his car with a cooler and other supplies. After the attack, investigators found he was also in possession of an arsenal of weapons and ammunition. That included 7 rifles, a shotgun, two pistols, more than 750,000 rounds of ammunition and 100 pounds of explosive tannerite.
The report said investigators believed that Parker set out with a plan to position various weapons and explosives around the wooded area of the Riverbend Dr. cul-de-sac.
"Parker was either going to shoot innocent civilians who frequently walk/exercise on the trails in the area and then set up and kill responding first responders, or just kill as many police officers as he could that responded to assist,” the report said.
Investigators further theorized that Parker’s plan was disrupted when he arrived at the cul-de-sac to find Wagner and Gale already there, eating lunch.
They said he opened fire on Wagner, who died from his injuries the following day.
The report noted the rifle believed to have been used against Wagner was later found in Parker’s front seat with a bullet jammed in its chamber.
Investigators said Gale fled to a safer distance so he could retrieve his rifle and dispatch other officers to let them know what was happening.
Officer Payne was one of the first to arrive at the scene. Video from Payne's body-worn camera and cruiser video showed the suspect firing multiple rounds toward the officers.
Gale was struck in the hand and was able to drive himself away from the scene. He was later transported to Mercy Hospital, where he was treated for serious, but non-lethal injuries.
Payne was shot by Parker multiple times in the arm and hip. He managed to pull himself into the woodline, under a barrage of dozens more bullet rounds.
The report said five officers discharged their weapons in response to the suspect's actions. He was struck and killed during the exchange.
Catherine Ross is the Lorain County reporter at News 5 Cleveland. Follow her on X @CatherineRossTV, on Facebook CatherineRossTV or email her at Catherine.Ross@wews.com.
