Twinsburg Officer Mourned
First on-duty killing in department's 56 years shocks colleagues, residents; suspect in Summit jail
TWINSBURG, Ohio -- Police officer Joshua Miktarian got one handcuff on Ashford Thompson when he stopped him early Sunday, blocks from Thompson's home.
And when police arrived at Thompson's former home in Bedford Heights to arrest him in Miktarian's death, that handcuff still dangled from Thompson's wrist.
They arrested him at 2:41 a.m., less than an hour after police say Miktarian -- a K-9 officer who had worked midnight shifts since 1997 -- stopped Thompson's car for loud music and suspected driving under the influence.
Two minutes into the traffic stop, Miktarian radioed for help, police said.
Almost simultaneously, a 9-1-1 caller reported loud shouting and "pop" sounds.
A minute later, police dispatch radioed Miktarian, but there was no response.
He was pronounced dead at MetroHealth Medical Center at 2:48 a.m., a homicide caused by multiple gunshot wounds to the head, according to the Cuyahoga County coroner.
Miktarian, 33, was the first officer killed in the line of duty in the department's 56-year history.
Police would not say what kind of weapon was used. Miktarian's German shepherd partner, Bagio, was in the car at the time of the shooting and was not hurt.
Miktarian's death is still under investigation by the Summit County sheriff.
Police could not say what happened after Miktarian pulled Thompson over in the normally quiet suburb.
"I was in shock," said Twinsburg officer Robert Hilton. "You know it can happen, but think, 'This doesn't happen here in this neighborhood. It's a good community.' "
Thompson, 23, who lives on Glenwood Drive and drives a 1998 Dodge Intrepid, has a sparse criminal history, according to public records.
Thompson, a licensed practical nurse, was found guilty of driving while intoxicated in Shaker Heights Municipal Court in July 2007, records show. Three months earlier, he was charged in Bedford Heights with possessing a firearm in a venue with a liquor permit.
On Sunday, Thompson was arrested without incident at a Cambridge Drive home where he used to live, Bedford Heights Police Chief Tim Kalavsky said. He was in the Summit County Jail, and is expected to be charged via video in Cuyahoga Falls Municipal Court today.
On Sunday afternoon, a woman who said she was Thompson's girlfriend sat on the driveway of the neat, tree-lined Cambridge Drive home and cried.
"How about giving us time to heal?" she said.
Meanwhile, family, friends, co-workers and Twinsburg residents mourned Miktarian, whom they described as always smiling, always making people laugh.
He was raised in Tallmadge and lived there with his wife, Holly, an Oakwood police officer, and their 3-month-old daughter, Thea. He owned a Gionino's Pizza franchise in Sagamore Hills Township, played guitar in an Akron rock band called Barium and recently began working part time as a police officer in Uniontown, where he began his law-enforcement career.
Twinsburg Police Chief Chris Noga called him an all-around great officer.
"People have no idea how much they give their lives to their jobs," said Diane Martin of Twinsburg, who stopped by a makeshift memorial of cellophane-wrapped bouquets, potted plants, balloons and American flags that grew in front of City Hall.
Someone had taped two photos of Miktarian, one his official department head shot, the other of him playing guitar, atop the City Hall sign. A handwritten poster said, "Thank you for keeping our streets safe. May you now watch over us."
Officers' wives planned a candlelight vigil for 9 tonight at City Hall on Ravenna Road, where the Police Department is housed.
Miktarian is the fourth Northeast Ohio police officer to die on duty in the past two years.
The trend began in August 2006, when Cleveland Detective Jonathan "A.J." Schroeder, 37, was shot and killed on West 98th Street. Cleveland Heights Patrolman Jason West, 31, was shot to death in May 2007 while responding to a call about a street fight. Euclid Patrolman George Brentar, 49, died in October 2007 when his cruiser hydroplaned on Interstate 90, crashed and burst into flames. And Cleveland Patrolman Derek Owens, 36, died in March after being shot while chasing four men in southeast Cleveland.
Cleveland Heights Police Chief Martin Lentz, whose officer father was killed on duty in 1957, brought an American flag to the Cuyahoga County coroner's office to drape over Miktarian's body.
Funeral arrangements are pending. The Twinsburg Police Association is accepting donations, police said.
"I pray for all police officers," said Sister Jane Frances, a nun who stopped at the memorial when she saw a woman crying. "They are some of the most selfless people I know."
Plain Dealer reporter Jesse Tinsley and news researcher JoEllen Corrigan contributed to this story.
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