Lorain, Ohio – Brent Payne, a Lorain Police Patrolman who was wounded in the July 23 ambush that killed Officer Phillip Wagner, is telling FOX 8 News his incredible story of courage and survival.
Nobody on the Lorain Police Department was surprised that the 47-year-old Payne was the first officer to respond to the heavily armed gunman’s sneak attack on Wagner.
“Officers had shots being fired at them and, you know, I was on station at the time because I had just completed an arrest, but when you hear that coming from another officer, you’ll run through a brick wall to get to them and it felt like I had to run through several brick walls to get to him because it just felt like it took forever to get on scene,” the 14-year veteran recalled.
As soon as Payne arrived at the scene of the shooting, he met up with fellow officer Peter Gale, 51, and they realized the situation was dire.
“We decided to stop here because we could see both Phil’s and the offender’s cars. What we didn’t realize at the time was that Phil was trapped in his car,” explained Payne. “Otherwise, I know I would have taken the fight further down the road.”
Payne stated that when he exited his cruiser, the suspect immediately opened fire with an assault rifle, and as the officer sought cover in a nearby wooded area, he was hit by three rounds, two in the upper left leg and one in his left arm, shattering his forearm.
Gale was shot in the hand.
Payne revealed that the gunman knew where the two officers were and continued to shoot.
“The range of emotions that I went through thinking that I wasn’t going to make it out of the woods alive, to get ready to fight it out with this individual because I thought he was coming for me,” Payne remembered.
The veteran officer said he felt tremendous relief when a team of Lorain police detectives, including his own brother, Craig Payne, shot and killed the suspect before carrying the injured patrolman out of the woods and driving him to the hospital in an unmarked police car.
“It’s definitely something that I will never take for granted again and that’s just life in general, because I really know how close I was to losing mine,” Payne told the crowd.
Life Flight flew Payne and Wagner to Cleveland’s MetroHealth Medical Center.
While Payne was recovering from surgery to remove the bullets and fragments, he learned that his friend and colleague, Wagner, could not be saved.
The husband and father of three died at the age of 35.
“I’m a team leader and my motto has always been ‘my team goes home and then I go home,’ so it’s tough knowing that I didn’t get Phil home and it bothers me,” according to him.
Payne said there is no clear explanation for why the gunman, 28-year-old Michael Parker of Lorain, chose to target police in the deadly ambush.
“I just think it was an individual who was looking to cause chaos on that day, and it wouldn’t have mattered if it was me, Pete, or Phil sitting there; unfortunately, it was Phil. I’m not sure if he was specifically targeting Phil, but I believe he was out to cause as much chaos and damage as possible,” he said.
Three days after the shooting, Payne was wheeled out of Metro by his brother and wife, Bailee, while two lines of fellow officers saluted him.
He was then led by a police motorcade to his Lorain County home, where he was met by his two-year-old son.
“It was just an overwhelming feeling of ‘I’m not alone in this,’ that there’s going to be all kinds of support,” he told me.
When Wagner’s funeral services were held at Rocket Arena in downtown Cleveland on July 30, his wounded brothers in blue, Payne and Gale, insisted on attending to say goodbye to their fallen comrade.
“We wanted to show Phil that he is loved and that none of this will go in vain and just to be there for him and his family,” according to him.
Payne still has a long road to recovery.
He underwent surgery last Wednesday to remove a bone from his leg, which will be used to help rebuild his shattered arm.
The veteran patrolman, known to fellow officers on the Lorain police force as “the GOAT” or the greatest of all time, said he has occasional flashbacks and bad dreams but is fortunate to have a strong support system at home to help him cope with the trauma.
“My wife has been an absolute rock star throughout this whole ordeal. “My brother and best friend have been over here almost every day,” he explained.
Despite his injuries, Payne is determined to return to work and the assignment he enjoys the most: patrolling the city’s streets.
“This is the only way I can honor Phil. It’s the only way I can honor those who came before us. “I enjoy being the tip of the sword, and nothing will prevent me from returning to that role,” he said.
Payne expressed gratitude to Northeast Ohioans for their incredible support of his family, as well as the families of Wagner and Gale.
“It’s one of those overwhelming moments because so many people have reached out to us and offered to help. “It’s amazing to see how people come together like that,” he said.
