Remembering officers killed in line of duty in NE Ohio
(WJW) — Nine Northeast Ohio police officers have been in killed in the line of duty in criminal incidents over the last 10 years, according to the Ohio Association of Chiefs of Police.
That includes 23-year-old Euclid police officer Jacob Derbin, who was gunned down in an ambush while responding to a disturbance at a Euclid home on Saturday.
National Peace Officers Memorial Day honored in NE Ohio
The chiefs association sources Officer Down Memorial Page, a nonprofit organization that honors law enforcers who made the ultimate sacrifice.
Wednesday was National Peace Officers Memorial Day. Nationwide, more than 26,000 law enforcement officers have died in the line of duty in U.S. history, according to the organization.
Ohio ranks fifth in the nation in the number of line-of-duty deaths, according to the association.
Read on for a summary of each case since 2014 in which a local police officer was killed in the line of duty. FOX 8 News followed each story through:
Jacob James Derbin
Age: 23
Service: Nine months with Euclid Police Department
Killed: Saturday, May 11, 2024 by gunfire
Derbin was killed responding to a disturbance at a home along 211th Street in Euclid, ambushed by a suspect who was wanted for a probation violation.
Derbin was a member of the U.S. Army National Guard and did an overseas tour. He became a Euclid police officer just nine months before he was killed.
Derbin was survived by his fiancée, according to Officer Down.
Shane Henry Bartek
Age: 25
Service: One year and six months with Cleveland Division of Police
Killed: Friday, Dec. 31, 2021 by gunfire
Bartek was killed in a carjacking on Cleveland’s west side, shot twice while struggling with the suspect for her gun.
Though the shooting occurred while Bartek was off duty, city police officials later ruled his murder would be considered a line-of-duty death, the FOX 8 I-Team reported.
Bartek was survived by his mother, brother, sister and grandmother, according to Officer Down.
James Michael Skernivitz
Age: 53
Service: 25 years with Cleveland Division of Police
Killed: Thursday, Sept. 3, 2020, by gunfire
Skernivitz was shot and killed while in a car in an attempted robbery near West 65th Street and Storer Avenue in Cleveland.
At the time, the detective was working undercover with a federal task force, as part of a violent crime reduction effort, the I-Team reported. An informant was also killed.
Skernivitz was survived by his wife and three children, according to Officer Down.
Mathew James Mazany
Age: 41
Service: 14 years with Mentor Police Department
Killed: Sunday, June 24, 2018, in a hit-and-run
Mazany was killed in a hit-and-run crash while assisting at the scene of a traffic stop on state Route 2 in Mentor.
The portion of state Route 2 between state routes 615 and 306 was renamed the Patrolman Mathew Mazany Memorial Highway.
Mazany was survived by his son, father, brother and sister, according to Officer Down.
Justin A. Leo
Age: 31
Service: Five years with Girard Police Department
Killed: Saturday, Oct. 21, 2017, by gunfire
Leo was shot and killed while responding to a domestic incident at a home along Indiana Avenue in Girard. Leo’s partner shot and killed the gunman.
Then-mayor James Melfi said Leo was a well-respected member of the police force, who worked to make a difference. Hundreds of police officers from across Ohio were expected to attend his funeral.
Leo was survived by his parents, aunt and other extended family, according to Officer Down.
David J. Fahey Jr.
Age: 39
Service: Two years and six months with Cleveland Division of Police
Killed: Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2017, in a hit-and-run
Fahey was killed by a hit-and-run driver while assisting at the scene of a fatal crash on Interstate 90 just west of Warren Road in Rocky River.
Fahey graduated from the Cleveland Police Academy and was a 1995 graduate of St. Edwards High School, as well as a U.S. Navy veteran.
He was survived by his mother, stepfather, three brothers and stepsister, according to Officer Down.
Kenneth V. Velez
Age: 48
Service: 27 years with the Ohio State Highway Patrol
Killed: Thursday, Sept. 15, 2016, in a crash
Velez was killed while outside his cruiser conducting a traffic stop on Interstate 90 near the border of Lakewood and Cleveland. The man charged with striking him was later acquitted on vehicular homicide charges.
Velez graduated from the academy in 1989. His funeral at Lorain County Community College was expected to be attended by police officers from 19 states, as well as Canada.
He was survived by his wife and three children, according to Officer Down.
K9 Jethro
Age: 2
Service: Two years with Canton Police Department
Killed: Sunday, Jan. 10, 2016, by gunfire
K9 Jethro was shot three times while responding to a burglary on Harrison Avenue in Canton with his human partner. Jethro died of his injuries the following day.
Jethro’s partner Ryan Davis, who had been with the K9 since he was just eight weeks old, credited the German shepherd with saving his life in a shootout with the suspect.
A life-sized statue was commissioned in Jethro’s honor.
Justin Robert Winebrenner
Age: 32
Service: Seven years and seven months with Akron Police Department
Killed: Sunday, Nov. 16, 2014, by gunfire
Winebrenner was shot twice and killed while off duty, when he and another off-duty officer confronted a gunman at an East Market Street pub. Four others in the bar were also shot.
The following year, University of Akron, Winebrenner’s alma mater, introduced a memorial scholarship for law enforcement education.
Winebrenner was survived by his then-4-year-old daughter and fiancée, according to Officer Down.
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