CINCINNATI — Hamilton County Coroner Lakshmi Sammarco said "there have been too many" law enforcement deaths in Greater Cincinnati since December.
Sammarco's comments came at a news conference Monday after Clermont County Sheriff's Office Detective Bill Brewer was shot and killed during a standoff with a suspect who prosecutors said feigned suicide over the weekend. Brewer was moving into 23-year-old Wade Winn's apartment to render aid when he and another officer were shot. Winn is being held on $10 million bond.
Brewer was shot in the pelvis, below his bulletproof vest, according to Sammarco.
"I'm glad no one else was hurt," she said. "It was a very volatile situation."
Sammarco tweeted on Sunday that five local law enforcement officers have died recently, including three in the line of duty.
"Our hearts are heavy with grief and pain for all the families of those heroes," she wrote.
Scott Jenkins, who was an officer for several local departments before he retired from the Harrison Police Department last year. After retiring, Jenkins worked as an investigator for the county coroner's office. He died suddenly in December.
On Dec. 20, Cincinnati Sgt. Arthur Schultz was found dead in a car in Eden Park.
On Jan. 4, Colerain police officer Dale Woods was hit by a moving vehicle while Woods was working another traffic accident on Colerain Avenue. Woods, a 15-year veteran, passed away three days later at UC Medical Center. The driver of the vehicle that struck Woods remained at the scene. No charges have yet been filed, but the case remains under investigation.
On Jan. 29, Clearcreek Township officer Jerrid M. Lee, off-duty at the time, was killed in a vehicle crash on Ohio SR 125 near Lindale Mount Holly Road in Clermont County. Lee died at the scene. The driver of the other vehicle has been charged with aggravated vehicular homicide. Authorities believe drugs were a factor in the crash.
