One of the officers who was shot and killed while responding to a 911 call near Columbus on Saturday was a Northeast Ohio native.
Officer Anthony Morelli, 54, was originally from Massillon, according to the Westerville Police Department, where he served for 30 years.
On Sunday, Massillon High School football coach Nate Moore mourned the loss of Morelli.
Please keep the family of Officer Anthony Morelli in your thoughts and prayers. The 1982 WHS graduate and former Massillon Tiger Defensive End was killed in the line of duty responding to a potential domestic violence 911 call. #RIP #TIG pic.twitter.com/ztNGltjf3g
— Nate Moore (@CoachNMoore) February 11, 2018
Morelli and Officer Eric Joering, 39, were shot as they entered an apartment while responding to a 911 call that ended with a hangup. Police say they were responding to a possible domestic situation. According to the Associated Press, police had been called to that home three times since September of last year for domestic disputes, but no arrests were ever made.
The suspect, 30-year-old Quentin Smith, was convicted in Cuyahoga County of felony burglary and misdemeanor domestic violence charges in 2009 and was sentenced to four years in prison. Records show he has a past residence listed in Euclid.
It's still unclear exactly what caused the 911 call and how or why the officers were shot, but AP reports a woman can be heard on the phone crying and saying, "won't let me in." At 12:12 p.m., an officer tells dispatch it's "all quiet right now." At 12:13 p.m., someone yells, "We have shots fired."
Smith was shot and hospitalized during the incident on Saturday, according to Westerville police.
Westerville police chief Joe Morbitzer remembered both officers as "true American heroes."
WESTERVILLE POLICE SHOOTING: This is really tough to hear this morning. Listen to the video below as Westerville's Chaplin recounts the moment where he had to tell Officer Joering's three daughters about what happened to their father.
Video courtesy: @10TV pic.twitter.com/uU1duQXIQP— Meg Shaw (@MegDShaw) February 12, 2018
WESTERVILLE POLICE SHOOTING: A Westerville mother's reaction to news of Officer Morelli's death.
The pair had a connection from years ago when the mother lost her child in a store. Morelli located her daughter while working special detail that day. She saw Morelli 2 months ago. pic.twitter.com/SOxx97myU7— Meg Shaw (@MegDShaw) February 12, 2018
A GoFundMe page has been set up to help the families of Officers Morelli and Joering. The original goal of $50,000 has already been significantly surpassed. As of Sunday afternoon, the page had raised $175,085, well on its way to a new goal of $250,000.
