EUCLID, Ohio — Two years to the day since Euclid Officer Jacob Derbin lost his life while on duty, and his mom is still seeking answers from that night.
Derbin was shot in an "ambush" while responding to a disturbance at a home in the 300 block of East 211th Street just before 10 p.m. on May 11, authorities told us in 2024.
Derbin was transported to University Hospitals, where he died from his injuries, according to police.
Derbin's mom, Dawn, who is also the administrator of his estate, has been asking how and why since his death.
She said she has yet to be given those answers.
"We want the truth, and we want transparency and accountability. The public deserves it, and Jacob deserves it. I deserve those answers," Dawn told me on Tuesday.
Late Friday, on behalf of Derbin's estate, Dawn filed a complaint in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio Eastern Division.
The 28-page lawsuit accuses the Chagrin Valley Dispatch Center of failing to relay crucial information about the severity of the situation.
It says the woman who phoned in the domestic dispute to Chagrin Valley dispatchers mentioned her child's father, Deshawn Vaughn, threatened to shoot her and her family members and had previously shot her brother.
The lawsuit states that information wasn't passed along to Euclid officers until 40 minutes later.
Euclid Police supervisors failed to come up with a tactical plan before sending Derbin and two other non-veteran officers, Alicia Mitchell and Samuel Jackson, to respond to the call, according to the lawsuit.
Body camera footage previously obtained by News 5 revealed the woman telling Derbin and other officers they could look in her backyard for Vaughn. Shortly after that, gunfire rang out.
Jackson blindly fired shots, which drew more gunfire in Derbin’s direction, the lawsuit said. Vaughn escaped and was later found to have committed suicide in Shaker Heights.
RELATED: Suspect wanted for fatal shooting of Euclid Police officer dead after SWAT standoff
The lawsuit accuses officers of recklessly shooting at the suspect, drawing return fire that ultimately killed Derbin.
Derbin was shot seven times, the lawsuit said.
The lawsuit claims the other Euclid officers failed to move Derbin to safety and render aid, delaying necessary medical attention.
"During that response and in the aftermath of his death, it became clear that the Euclid Police Department had failed to adequately train and equip its officers to respond to calls like this where there was a threat of known violence," FFG Partner, Jacqueline Greene, told me.
Greene is representing the Derbin family in this case.
She alleges Derbin's supervisors, who are listed as defendants in the suit, failed to provide any kind of instruction or intervention for the officers responding to the call.
"There are questions that should be answered. There are questions that the department should be accountable for and the department should hold its officers accountable in the review of the events that led to Jacob Derbin's death," Greene said.
Dawn said she feels like she has been fighting for basic information in her son's death.
She told me she has tried having conversations with those at the Euclid Police Department for the last two years, but claims she has only been met with deflection.
"No family should have to fight this hard to find out what happened to their baby. Nobody. It is torture," Dawn said. "This all started with just me wanting to know my son's last words, and I couldn't get a straight answer from how many times he was shot to where he was."
Greene acknowledged Euclid Police did follow proper procedure in calling the Bureau of Criminal Investigation to review the shooting, but said there are some unusual inconsistencies in it.
"They didn't require their officers to give statements. They didn't require them to give interviews. Not a single member of the Euclid Police Department sat down with BCI to give an interview about what happened. It's highly unusual in BCI investigations to come across a full file without a single interview of a person in the department," Greene said.
Last year, BCI finished its investigation, concluding that "there is no evidence to suggest that anyone other than the suspect was responsible for Jacob’s death," and clearing the officers of any wrongdoing.
Greene said no internal investigation into the shooting was conducted.
"Does the Euclid Police Department actually want to grapple with what happened here and why and how Jacob Derbin died? It appears not based on their lack of commitment to transparency and lack of commitment to a full and thorough investigation of the events leading to and causing his death," Greene said.
The alleged lack of commitment is noted in the lawsuit, too. It ties it to several different incidents that happened over the course of the last decade.
Both Greene and Dawn said they now want to put a stop to it.
Not only are they seeking accountability and transparency, but Dawn said she hopes this lawsuit sparks "meaningful change" in the department.
"I do not want this to happen to anybody else ever again," Dawn said. "What happened to Jacob can never happen again to anybody, to any civilian, to another officer. Jacob was funny. Jacob was a protector. He always did the right thing. He believed in integrity. He believed in service. He was a proud soldier. He's just amazing. He was an amazing, incredible human being. He should still be here."
Greene said the suit is still in the process of being served to everyone involved.
"Then we'll proceed down the typical path of litigation to seek the answers through discovery and other means in the context of the courts," Greene said.
News 5 reached out to the City of Euclid for a response to the lawsuit.
"The City of Euclid, the Euclid Police Department and it officers continue to mourn the loss of Officer Jacob Derbin. The City of Euclid has recently received the lawsuit filed by the Estate of Jacob Derbin and per its policy it will not be commenting on the pending litigation. After reviewing the matter with legal counsel, the City will respond through the proper legal proceedings," Euclid Law Director Patrick Cooney said on Tuesday.
I reached out to Derbin's father via social media for comment, but didn't hear back.
Dawn is still calling for a full independent U.S. Department of Justice investigation into her son's murder.
"I believe significant evidence and investigative concerns were not fully addressed, including evidence I believe was not presented to the grand jury. I want every fact surrounding what happened that night fully examined through every legal and transparent process available," Dawn said.
