Officers who responded to the ambush of three Lorain Police Officers in July 2025 are not facing charges for firing on the gunman, Michael Parker, according to a newly released report from the Lorain County Prosecutor's Office on Friday.
During the ambush, Lorain Police Officers Phillip Wagner, Brent Payne and Peter Gale were all shot and injured. Officer Wagner later died from his wounds.
News 5 Investigator Sarah Buduson combed through the documents and discovered that investigators said the reasoning behind Parker targeting Lorain Police Officers may never be known.
The report describes the 28-year-old Lorain man as a "loner" who could not get a job and had recently left a position at the U.S. Postal Service on bad terms.
He was not known to be anti-government or anti-police, but he was known to be a "gun enthusiast," according to the report.
Parker bought at least 10 firearms between 2020 and 2025, four of which were purchased in the months leading up to last summer's shooting.
The report found Parker experienced three head injuries: In high school, he was hit by a car trunk lid; in 2013, he was involved in a sledding accident; he experienced a head injury in 2025 while working as a postal carrier.
According to the report, Parker received a medical diagnosis in 2013, but the specific diagnosis is redacted.
Family members said those head injuries caused him to get headaches and become withdrawn.
In September 2025, Elyria Police revealed the timeline of the shooting of the three Lorain officers.
The prosecutor's office released a full statement on the report in a Facebook post Friday:
