Posted: May 13, 2024 / 01:30 AM EDT
Update: May 13, 2024 / 07:55 PM EDT
A tragic event unfolded in the Euclid community on May 12, as a police officer was killed in the line of duty and a suspect was later found dead following a manhunt and standoff with law enforcement.
According to reports from multiple sources, Euclid police officer Jacob Derbin, 23, was responding to a disturbance call at around 9:56 p.m. when he was ambushed by gunfire while checking the backyard of the residence in question.
Derbin, who had been sworn into the Euclid Police Department less than two years prior and was survived by his fiancée and father, who is also a Euclid police officer, died from his injuries at the hospital.
The suspect in this case was identified as 24-year-old Deshawn Anthony Vaughn. Vaughn had a criminal history that included convictions for second-degree felonious assault in 2017 and receiving stolen property and having weapons under disability in 2021.
Vaughn was sentenced to four years in prison following the second-degree felonious assault conviction, but he was released after serving only a portion of his sentence. In October 2021, Vaughn pleaded guilty to reduced charges of receiving stolen property and having weapons under disability and was sentenced to 263 days in prison.
Following the shooting on May 12, a manhunt for Vaughn ensued, with authorities issuing an Ohio Blue Alert seeking public assistance in locating him. The alert was later cancelled when Vaughn was found dead inside an apartment building in Shaker Heights around 5 p.m. on May 13.
The circumstances of Vaughn's death are still under investigation, but it is believed that he died during a standoff with law enforcement.
Governor Mike DeWine ordered flags to be flown at half-staff in honor of Officer Jacob Derbin's life and service. The United States and Ohio flags will remain in this position until sunset on the day of Derbin's funeral, which has not yet been announced.
The Euclid Police Department asks that you keep the fallen officer, his family, loved ones, and our agency in your thoughts and prayers during this difficult time.
