A Policeman’s Tribute to Officer Phillip Wagner

Eating a pizza with a buddy. That was the crime that resulted in his execution. Taking a break from serving the citizens of Lorain and relaxing for a few minutes. Joking around with a friend without realizing that the clock was counting down to zero while a coward loaded his guns to not even give them a fighting chance.

Eating a pizza. That was Phillip Wagner’s crime.

He had a family. A wife who loved him. He was father. He had friends. He had hopes and dreams. Doing a job that few would take on for the hope of a better future for both him and his community. None of that mattered because of the hate in the heart of a cowardly madman.

Officer Wagner’s death, while certainly not in vain because of the life he led and the people he helped along the way, served no purpose. It didn’t expose dirty cops. It didn’t change the system. It didn’t even stop Lorain PD from fulfilling their oath and their promise to their community. All it did was extinguish a light in the community that shone on the darkness so that others could live in light.

Sure. There’s a warped segment of society that is rejoicing. Some of them will comment here. They’ll call us jackboots. They’ll call us pigs. They’ll call us revenuers. They’ll try to be edgy behind fake names and fake profiles. Because of their poor decisions and failure to live in a society with rules, they blame us. They’ll think their comments will gain traction. They won’t. Because they are in the vast minority and we know that. Those comments won’t deter us from honoring Officer Wagner’s memory and working hard to make our communities as safe as we can for the people that call them home.

Officer Wagner was a hero. A hero whose only crime was taking a break from the constant fight against forces that try to disrupt peace and security. A hero that desperately only wanted to get home to his family. To kiss them one more time.

We will continue this fight in his memory. Every one of us wishes we could have been there that day.

To all of our brothers and sisters. Continue the fight everyday in his memory to make your communities a little better than they were at the start of your shift. To all of the citizens, remember what he gave for you. For you to live peacefully and in safety.

Phillip Wagner, your death was not in vain and we will never forget the tremendous sacrifice that you’ve made. Thank you for dedicating your life to others.

“When bad men combine, the good must associate; else they will fall one by one, an unpitied sacrifice in a contemptible struggle.” – Edmund Burke

To officers everywhere. Remain associated. Now more than ever.

Remember Phillip Wagner.

EOW 7-24-25

-North Olmsted Police

Remembering Officer Phillip Wagner & Family

The loss of Officer Wagner has placed the whole community – all of northeast Ohio – in mourning. He will never be forgotten and we want to remember him and his family in perpetuity. Please let us honor his legacy into the future.

Memorial contributions can be made directly to: The Lorain Police Officers’ Charitable Foundation, c/o Lorain Police Department, 100 W. Erie Avenue, Lorain, OH 44052. Online donations can be made at: unionly.io/o/fopohio/officer-assistance-fund.

Also a GoFundMe, https://www.gofundme.com/f/donate-to-phils-family-for-immediate-relief, organized by Wagner’s sister-in-law, Kasie Tillman, has been established to help the his family.