EUCLID, Ohio (WJW) — The Euclid Police Department is mourning the death of a young officer killed in the line of duty. Now, the man accused of killing him is also dead, after a manhunt that lasted nearly 18 hours.
Euclid police officer Jacob Derbin was just 23 years old. He was a military veteran and was set to get married this summer. He died Saturday night.
Just before 10 p.m., Euclid police were dispatched to a home along East 211th Street for a report of a disturbance. Police said a woman called authorities saying the father of her child was threatening to harm her and her mother.
When police arrived at the scene, the woman told police the suspect was nearby.
Derbin went to the backyard and as he was rounding the corner, the suspect ambushed him, shooting and killing him before taking off.
Derbin joined the force just nine months ago, after serving in the Army National Guard. He did a tour in the Middle East before coming home to be an officer.
“He died in service of his city and his fellow officers, and it’s a tragedy. It’s awful. But this is about Jacob (and) his family. He was a wonderful man. I’m a better person to know him, all of us are,” Capt. Mitch Houser said.
Derbin’s father is also a police officer in Euclid. His grandfather retired from the police force in Brooklyn Heights and his mother is a paramedic.
His mother told NewsNation affiliate WJW that she is incredibly proud of her son because he protected his family, his country and his community.
The suspect was heavily armed and extremely dangerous. He was a man with a violent criminal history.
Deshawn Vaughn, 24, spent four years in prison for felonious assault. Three years ago, he was put back behind bars for having a gun and receiving stolen property.
On Sunday afternoon, police, SWAT and the U.S. Marshals Service shut down the area of Lee Road and Van Aken Boulevard in Shaker Heights where they had tracked Vaughn. He was posting on social media throughout the search.
Vaughn was later found holed up inside an apartment in Shaker Heights, where he remained for hours while police fired off flashbangs and sent in drones. Vaughn shot at the drones, according to U.S. Marshal Pete Elliott.
Law enforcement was able to evacuate everyone from the building while the standoff dragged on. When they entered the apartment, Vaughn was dead.
“You know when somebody gets this desperate and they start thinking like this, they’re capable of just about anything,” Police Chief Scott Meyer said. “Thank goodness it’s that very rare individual, but those who are willing to do that sort of thing — they are extremely dangerous.”
In 2021, Vaughn spent another nine months behind bars for having a weapon under disability and receiving stolen property.