Cleveland, Ohio They spoke to him as a hero, a modest man who died in unspeakable horror and loved his family, career, and coworkers.
They talked about the unquenchable light of his devotion. In remembrance of Lorain police officer Phillip Wagner, who was slain in an attack last week, almost 3,000 people departed Rocket Arena on Wednesday.
The mayor of the city, Jack Bradley, told officers, citizens, and family members that he was a true hero of Lorain. Your love served as the cornerstone for his wife, Jessica.
His peace was your strength. Your father was a champion to his kids. He worked tirelessly every day to make the world a safer place for all of you because he loved you all with all of his heart.
During the event, a number of speakers discussed Wagner, his life, and the current attitudes toward and treatment of police.
The Fraternal Order of Police’s state president, Jay McDonald, described the attack as a “stain against our society.” Those who attended the funeral, he said, are in a state of grief.
A procession that left Liston Funeral Home in North Ridgeville was followed by the public funeral. Instead of being transported in a hearse, Wagner’s casket was transported in a Lorain police SWAT truck. Days before his death, 35-year-old Wagner, a four-year department veteran, joined the SWAT unit.
At the Colorado Avenue Industrial Park on July 23, Wagner and colleague officer Peter Gale, 51, were eating lunch in their squad cars when they were ambushed by a shooter brandishing a powerful weapon. When 47-year-old Lorain police officer Brent Payne arrived to assist his coworkers, he was also shot.
We are all him. “He is all of us who are dedicated to serving the community and who wear a uniform,” McDonald added. Officer Phillip Wagner will always be remembered as the hero that he was.
According to Lorain police detective and police union president Matt Hartman, Wagner was a trustworthy cop who enjoyed cracking jokes with his coworkers.
According to Hartman, bringing up firearms or SWAT would always make him smile.
Pictures of Wagner flashed on the scoreboard of the arena as spectators waited in line for the event. Photographs showing Wagner training to become a SWAT officer were among the images from his personal life and military experience.
Acting Lorain Police Chief Michael Failing said Wagner was passionate about SWAT and remembers that the only question he asked during his employment interview was when he could try out for the SWAT.
Phil has always dreamed of this line of work.
A Thin Blue Line flag was flown over Wagner’s coffin beneath the stage where Failing spoke. The Marine Corps anthem was played by a ceremonial bagpipe band as it was carried into the arena.
Payne and Gale came by and lingered while the coffin lay against the stage.
During the funeral, Pastor Josh Smith of GrowPoint Church in Amherst said, “We are grateful for the years you gave him.” And they weren’t wasted.
Smith discussed Wagner as a person, a man who valued his faith and family. He claimed to have read The Power of the Praying Husband multiple times while serving in the Marines. According to him, Wagner was devoted to his wife, Jessica, and their three kids.
In the last 18 months, law enforcement in Northeast Ohio has killed three people, including Wagner. While attempting to apprehend a man who was suspected of murdering his own grandmother in the face with a stolen firearm on July 4, 2024, Cleveland police officer Jamieson Ritter was shot and killed.
After responding to a disturbance call two months prior, Euclid police officer Jacob Derbin was slain in what authorities described as an ambush.
“Too many people are against the work of police today,” stated McDonald, the state FOP president. “We must not overlook Wagner’s sacrifice,” he remarked.
McDonald said that 196 police officers have been killed nationwide this year, saying, “Today we grieve; tomorrow we act.”
Working with Wagner was mentioned by Hartman. Speaking at the funeral was one of the most difficult things he has ever had to do, he added.
According to Hartman, although we are trained for many things in our work, we are never truly ready to say goodbye to one of our own.
