'We're never really prepared to say goodbye:' Police, supporters pay respects to fallen Lorain officer (VIDEOS)

CLEVELAND — Under a sea of blue lights, roughly 5,000 police officers, their families and supporters paid their respects to Lorain police Officer Phillip Wagner at Cleveland's Rocket Arena. Wagner, 35, was gravely injured in a shooting on Lorain's east side on July 23. He died the next day at Cleveland's MetroHealth Medical Center, leaving behind a wife and three young children. Fellow officers Brent Payne and Peter Gale were also injured in the shooting. At Wednesday's service, Payne, in a wheelchair, saluting, and Gale, his hand in a cast, were the first behind Wagner's family to pass by the "thin blue line" flag-draped casket. Hundreds of police vehicles from across Ohio and several states filled all six lanes of traffic on Ontario Street and spilled into turning and parking lanes along it. Thousands of officers attended the funeral, filing into the event center in crisp dress uniforms bearing seemingly every police department insignia in Northeast Ohio and beyond. Officer Jim Gilpin, of the Kenton County Police Department in Kentucky, left home at 3 a.m. on Wednesday to attend the funeral. "When you lose a brother, it doesn't matter where it happens," Gilpin said. "When something like this happens, we have to show support. I'm here to support the Lorain police, the officers and their families. (Driving six hours) for this is no problem at all." Another group of officers from had traveled from New York, Connecticut and Chicago, representing Brotherhood for the Fallen, a group that supports the families of law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty. Mere hours before Wagner's services, the New York Police Department also lost one of its own. Officer Didarul Islam was shot and killed while responding to a mass shooting in midtown Manhattan on Tuesday. "We are here to show support for the family, the citizens and the various departments on behalf of our own cities and departments," Chicago police Officer Daniel Lopez said. "We also try to gather funds as a chapter to support the families and their immediate needs. A lot of people don't realize that when situations like this happen, the family often loses their main breadwinner, who was doing their duty for the people." Donations have poured in to support Wagner and the two other officers injured on July 23. As of Wednesday afternoon, a GoFundMe organized by Wagner's sister-in-law, Kasie Tillman, had raised nearly $160,000. Earlier in the week, Lorain police Lt. Kyle Gelenius deposited $32,000 collected at Rockin' on the River and other fundraisers over the weekend. In addition to the thousands of officers and their families, many members of the public were in attendance to mourn Wagner and support Lorain police. "I wanted to grieve with the family, obviously not getting too close," John Keaney of Cleveland said. "Any time something like this happens, it is just a tragedy … there's one less officer keeping Lorain safe." 'We'll take it from here' Photos of Wagner from his two tours in Afghanistan with the U.S. Marine Corps and images from his time with Lorain police flicked by on stadium screens that usually display basketball games and concert highlights. Hired by LPD in 2022, Wagner was appointed to the city's SWAT team on July 22. Photos displayed for visitors showed him in his yearlong training, including leading a mock tactical assault through Lorain High School, carrying a ladder and participating in target practice. It was something that Wagner showed interest in during his hiring interview, acting Lorain police Chief Michael Failing said. "His only follow-up question was how long he would have to wait to try out for our SWAT team," Failing said, remembering an anecdote from the late officer's wife, Jessica about how Wagner would use his SWAT tactics to enter doorways in their North Ridgeville home. "On his first SWAT raid, he tripped while exiting the armored vehicle and fell face-first onto the ground," Failing said. "He quickly jumped up and continued the mission — his colleagues shared a laugh at his expense, as supportive police co-workers do." That same young officer was known for his impromptu dance moves while working the night shift, Failing said. Wagner had a passion for firearms and the tactical team, Lorain Fraternal Order of Police Lodge No. 3 President Matthew Hartman said during Wednesday's service. He remembered a call on the city's south side the pair responded to where a woman turned in firearms to the department for disposal — including a portion of a gun from World War II. By the time their shift had ended, Wagner had sent Hartman the history of the weapon, how many were made and its schematics, Hartman said. "In this job, we're trained for a lot of things," Hartman said. "But we're never really prepared to say goodbye." He looked to the casket at the center of the room, and the family Wagner left behind. He offered a promise to carry Wagner's spirit within the department and a simple "I'm sorry," to his fallen co-worker. "Watch over your brothers and sisters in blue," Hartman said. "Keep us safe, like you always did. Officer Phillip Wagner, badge 4178. We'll take it from here." One day after Wagner became a fully fledged member of the city's SWAT team, he and Officer Peter Gale were ambushed while sharing a pizza for lunch in the vacant Colorado Avenue Industrial Park. Rifle fire pierced a bright, sunny summer afternoon on July 23 when Michael Parker, 28, of Lorain, opened fire on the men and responding officer Brent Payne. Officers shot and killed Parker at the scene. Fellow police officers responding to that chaotic scene loaded Wagner and the two other officers into the back of their patrol vehicles, hurtling away from River Bend Drive. The cruisers reached MercyHealth - Lorain. Payne and Wagner were flown to MetroHealth for further treatment. Failing stood with Wagner's wife when the decision was made to take the young officer off life support. "There are no words I can offer to ease your pain," Failing said, looking to the young widow seated in the front row on the arena's floor in a blue, floor-length dress. "Your hero has united a community — some knew him, some did not, but all have felt the impact of this tragedy. His time here may have been short, shorter than it should have been, but it is not over. He will live on in the love you share, in the lives he inspired and in the hearts of his fellow officers." He posthumously awarded Wagner the Purple Heart and Medal of Honor for the 35-year-old's sacrifice and service. Lorain Mayor Jack Bradley designated July 24 as "Officer Phillip Wagner Day" in the man's honor. "In times like these, it is natural to ask why," Bradley said. "But perhaps the most powerful question is 'How do we honor him?' The answer is this: We live as he lived. We love as he loved and we serve as he served." 'We mourn your loss' The Wagners' pastor, the Rev. Josh Smith of Amherst's GrowPoint Church, referenced portions of Psalms and offered another anecdote from Wagner's time in Afghanistan. The Arizona native served two tours in the Middle East in the late 2000s. Afterward Wagner moved to Ohio to be near family and attended Lorain County Community College's police academy. A person is known by their journals, photos and library — and while Wagner was not much of a writer, he left behind photos and one particular book he read cover-to-cover, Smith said. That book was "The Power of a Praying Husband" by Stormie Omartian. Wagner read the book long before he met Jessica, Smith said, and was unsure how the young Marine even came across the manuscript. "That, paired with his photos, tell the story of a faithful husband, a joy-filled father and an ever-watchful, always improving officer," Smith said. One of Smith's favorite stories about Wagner was from earlier this month, he said, when the officer was on vacation and spent his time swirling around his wife, cleaning and taking care of her. "Jessica, at one point she goes 'You always take care of me, even on vacation,'" Smith said. "And without hesitation, Phil said, 'I'll take care of you for the rest of my life.'" He remembered how Wagner changed with each child the couple had, and how his family became the center of his world. Ohio Fraternal Order of Police President Jay McDonald noted 10 law enforcement officers have been shot in the U.S. in the last week; 196 shot this year alone. "These are not just numbers," the head of the state bargaining unit said. "These are men and women, mothers and fathers, sons and daughters. All of us who wear the badge know that call — 'shots fired, officer in trouble' — and all of us know the courage of the responding officers who do not hesitate, who run toward the gunfire." Lorain police, and departments from throughout the county responded to the distress call from Payne and Gale on July 23. And they will carry Wagner's mission forward, protecting the same community he served, McDonald said. "I carry this message from thousands and thousands of law enforcement officers from across Ohio and the nation: We see you, we mourn your loss as our loss and we will not stop protecting and serving our communities. We will not stop remembering Officer Phillip Wagner as the American hero that he is and we will not stop working to ensure every officers' safety." At the end of the service, just like he arrived, Wagner's casket was loaded into one of Lorain's hulking SWAT vehicles by the tactical team he had been so excited to join. A drum and bagpipe corps played as Wagner's family and Lorain officers filed out of the service. The processional departed downtown Cleveland for York Free Chapel Cemetery in Sandusky County for a private graveside service and burial. As officers filed into their vehicles, some stood on the running boards of their SUVs to take video of the myriad police vehicles parked on Ontario Street, their blue lights flashing in the humid afternoon air. A black, AH-64 Apache attack helicopter flew low overhead, looping over the group before it started down the interstate. Gov. Mike DeWine attended Wagner's services. He previously ordered all flags at half-staff in the officer's honor. Contact Owen MacMillan at omacmillan@chroniclet.com. Contact Carissa Woytach at (440) 329-7245 or cwoytach@chroniclet.com.