Police say waiting shooter ambushed 2 Ohio officers parked for lunch and seriously injured a third

LORAIN, Ohio (AP) — An armed man lying in wait on a dead-end street shot and wounded two Ohio police officers when they parked their patrol vehicles in an undeveloped industrial park to eat lunch Wednesday, and an officer driving into the scene in response to their call for help also was shot and seriously injured, officials said.

The shooter “was shot on scene and was pronounced deceased,” said Michael Failing, the acting police chief in Lorain, about 25 miles (40 kilometers) west of Cleveland. The man “had an arsenal of weapons with him,” said Failing, who did not share further details on that and noted that the available information about the shooting was preliminary.

James Welsh, the police chief in nearby Elyria whose department is investigating what happened, told reporters earlier that Lorain officers were ambushed by a man firing a high-powered rifle, and that police returned fire.

Welsh said it wasn't immediately clear if the suspect, a 28-year-old Lorain man whom Welsh and Failing did not name, was killed by the officers or shot himself. Welsh said the man is believed to have acted alone.

Two of the officers suffered multiple gunshot wounds, Failing said. They were in critical condition after being flown to a trauma center, according to a statement issued by the Ohio Fraternal Order of Police hours after the shooting.

The other officer was shot in the hand and was treated at a local medical facility, Failing said.

He said the ambushed officers had just bought a pizza and parked side by side to eat in their vehicles. Responding officers loaded the wounded into patrol vehicles and rushed them to get medical care, he said.

Authorities shared no details Wednesday about what might have motivated the shooting.

“It's a tragic day in the city of Lorain, but we're a strong city, and we're going to move forward,” Mayor Jack Bradley said.

He said officers will be offered counseling to help process what happened.

Bradley also said he'd spoken with Gov. Mike DeWine, who offered support. In a separate statement, the governor said the shooting “reminds us that those who work in law enforcement risk their lives every day for the safety of their communities.”

This aerial image taken from video provided by WEWS shows police working at the scene of shooting after police officers were wounded and a man was killed in an exchange of gunfire early Wednesday afternoon, July 23, 2025, in an industrial area of Lorain, Ohio. (WEWS via AP)

This aerial image taken from video provided by WEWS shows police working at the scene of shooting after police officers were wounded and a man was killed in an exchange of gunfire early Wednesday afternoon, July 23, 2025, in an industrial area of Lorain, Ohio. (WEWS via AP)

This aerial image taken from video provided by WEWS shows police working at the scene of shooting after police officers were wounded and a man was killed in an exchange of gunfire early Wednesday afternoon, July 23, 2025, in an industrial area of Lorain, Ohio. (WEWS via AP)

This aerial image taken from video provided by WEWS shows police working at the scene of shooting after police officers were wounded and a man was killed in an exchange of gunfire early Wednesday afternoon, July 23, 2025, in an industrial area of Lorain, Ohio. (WEWS via AP)

MIAMI (AP) — Anfernee Simons scored 18 of his season-high 39 points in the fourth quarter, Jaylen Brown added 27 and the Boston Celtics trailed most of the way before rallying to beat the Miami Heat 119-114 on Thursday night.

Sam Hauser added 17 points for the Celtics, who outscored Miami 36-21 in the fourth quarter and won after facing as much as a 19-point deficit. It was their second-biggest comeback win of the season, after coming from 20 down to beat Indiana on Dec. 22.

Simons had the second highest-scoring game for a reserve this season — Utah's Brice Sensabaugh had 43 on Wednesday night in a loss to Chicago — and became the fourth Celtics player in the last 50 years to score at least 39 off the bench. The others: Larry Bird, Todd Day and Payton Pritchard.

Norman Powell scored 26 points for Miami, which got 22 points apiece from Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro. Andrew Wiggins added 16 for the Heat.

Simons had 11 consecutive Boston points in the fourth quarter to chip away at what was left of the Miami edge, and then Hauser got an open 3-pointer with 5:21 left to give the Celtics their first lead since the opening minute of the game.

The lead changed hands twice more, before Brown's 3-pointer with 4:05 remaining put Boston on top for good.

Miami started the game on a 28-9 run, putting the Celtics in a most unusual early position.

That 19-point margin — only about seven minutes into the game — matched the biggest first-quarter deficit the Celtics faced in a 304-game span since trailing Indiana by 20 early on in a game on Dec. 21, 2022. Boston also trailed Milwaukee by 19 in the first quarter on April 9, 2024.

The Heat played without starting point guard Davion Mitchell (left shoulder contusion) and sixth man Jaime Jaquez Jr. (left knee soreness).

Celtics: At Atlanta on Saturday night.

Heat: Host Oklahoma City on Saturday night.

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA

Boston Celtics guard Anfernee Simons, center, is defended by Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo (13) during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, in Miami. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

Boston Celtics guard Anfernee Simons (4) comes under pressure from Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo (13) during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, in Miami. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

Boston Celtics guard Anfernee Simons (4) goes for the basket defended by Miami Heat center Kel'el Ware, obscured, during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, in Miami. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

Miami Heat guard Norman Powell (24) reacts after making a shot during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Boston Celtics, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, in Miami. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra watches from courtside during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Boston Celtics, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, in Miami. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)