Take Me: A True Hero in Lorain
In memory of Officer Phillip Wagner, who gave everything.
Take me to the quiet streets of Lorain, Ohio, where the morning of July 23, 2025, began like any other—until it didn’t. Where three officers sat in their cruisers during a lunch break, unaware that a man lay in wait with high-powered weapons and a plan to destroy. Where the silence shattered into gunfire, and one life was taken in an instant of violence that rippled through a city, a department, and a family.
Take me to the moment Officer Phillip Wagner was struck. A Marine Corps veteran, a father of three, a man who had just earned his SWAT pin after a year of grueling training. He was not just a badge number. He was a protector, a teammate, a husband, a dad. And in that moment, he became something more—a symbol of sacrifice.
Take me into the chaos that followed. Fellow officers rushing to perform emergency care, loading Wagner and Officer Brent Payne into cruisers to get them to safety. The suspect, Michael Parker, was killed in the exchange, but the damage had already been done. Wagner died the next evening at MetroHealth Medical Center in Cleveland. He was 35 years old.
Let me walk through the grief. His wife Jessica, now a widow. His three children, now fatherless. The community, stunned and mourning. Lorain Mayor Jack Bradley declared July 24 a day in Wagner’s honor. A tree will be planted near the city’s permanent tribute for fallen officers. Small flags remain near the scene. Posters bearing Wagner’s badge hang in shop windows. The city is stitched together with sorrow and remembrance.
Take me into the funeral procession. Thousands gathered in Downtown Cleveland. Officers from across Ohio and even Canada stood shoulder to shoulder. They came not just to mourn, but to honor. To say: He mattered. He served. He gave everything. Governor Mike DeWine, Lt. Governor Jim Tressel, and Attorney General Dave Yost were among those present. But the most powerful words came from those closest to him.
“Your father was a champion,” Mayor Bradley told Wagner’s children. “He loved all of you with his whole heart and worked to make the world safer for you every single day”.
Take me into the heart of the man behind the uniform. Pastor Josh Smith shared that Wagner never liked being called a hero. It made him uncomfortable. He believed a hero was someone who laid down their life for others. And so, in the end, he became the very thing he humbly resisted. A true hero.
Let me feel the weight of that word. Hero. Not because of medals or headlines, but because of the quiet choices made every day. Showing up. Serving. Protecting. Loving. Wagner didn’t seek glory—he sought to do good. And in his final act, he gave everything.
Take me into the healing. The community rallies. Memorial coins are being sold to support Jessica and the children, with half the profits going directly to the family. A fellow officer in New York helped design the coin, and a plate bearing its image will be given to each child. It’s a small gesture, but it carries the weight of solidarity.
Let me sit with the pain. The kind that doesn’t fade with time. The kind that lingers in empty chairs and quiet mornings. Jessica now faces the unimaginable: raising three children without the man who was her partner in every sense. And yet, she is not alone. Lorain stands with her. The badge community stands with her. Strangers across the country stand with her.
Take me into the legacy. Wagner’s name will be etched into memorials, spoken in ceremonies, remembered in silence. But more than that, his spirit will live on in the lives he touched. In the officers he trained beside. In the children he loved fiercely. In the city he served with honor.
And when July 24 comes each year, Lorain will pause. Not just to mourn, but to remember. To reflect. To recommit to the values Wagner embodied: courage, humility, service.
Take me there.
To the cruiser where he sat.
To the hospital where he fought.
To the home where his absence is felt every day.
Because sometimes, a hero isn’t the one who survives.
It’s the one who gives everything so others can.
And Phillip Wagner was that hero.
We promise to never forget.
We promise to stand with his family.
We promise to carry his name with honor.
He was a true hero.
And he still is.
