Man shot, killed Tuesday night in Lorain; Sheriff's Office investigating

The Lorain County Sheriff's Office is investigating the homicide of a man shot and killed Tuesday night in a car in the city of Lorain. Lorain County Coroner Dr. Frank Miller on Thursday identified the victim as 28-year-old Robert Willis. He said Willis did not have a fixed address. The shooting happened in the area of West 34th Street and Meister Road, authorities said. Miller performed an autopsy Thursday. He said it showed Willis was shot in the upper body, Miller said. The Sheriff's Office is handling the investigation. County sheriffs in Ohio have countywide jurisdiction including in cities, villages and townships. Maj. Steve Scharschmidt, commander of the Sheriff's Office's Major Crimes Task Force, said deputies got a call for shots fired at about 9 p.m. Tuesday in the 1700 block of Meister Road near Agudath B'nai Israel Synagogue and Willow Park. He said Willis was shot in a car, which rolled for several hundred yards before it crashed. Willis was transported from the scene but later pronounced dead, Scharschmidt said. No arrests have been made and there are no named persons of interest yet, but deputies have collected video from the area, he said. Images released by the Sheriff's Office show a thin person in dark or black clothing and white shoes. "We're running down a few leads," Scharschmidt said. Anyone with information on Willis' killing is asked to call Scharschmidt or lead Detective Matt Lawson at the Detective Bureau, (440) 329-3875, or Lawson directly at (440) 896-9863. At the time of the shooting, deputies and detectives were covering for the Lorain Police Department as officers there prepared for Wednesday's funeral of Lorain police Officer Phillip Wagner. Wagner, 35, of North Ridgeville, was ambushed, shot and mortally wounded July 23 as he and another officer sat eating lunch along Colorado Avenue. Wagner died the following day, July 24, at MetroHealth Medical Center in Cleveland. Fellow Officer Peter Gale, 51, was eating lunch with Wagner and was wounded in the hand. Gale was treated at Mercy Health Hospital in Lorain and released. Officer Brent Payne, 47, was seriously wounded in the arm and leg as he rushed to help Gale and Wagner. Following surgery, Payne was released Sunday from MetroHealth in Cleveland. Both Payne and Gale attended Wagner's funeral Wednesday at Rocket Arena in Cleveland. Contact Dave O'Brien at (440) 329-7129 or dobrien@chroniclet.com