Over 5,000 attend funeral of slain Lorain police officer (UPDATED, VIDEOS)

CLEVELAND – Roughly 5,000 police officers, their families and supporters are in attendance at the funeral of Lorain police Officer Phillip Wagner at Rocket Arena in Cleveland. Wagner was killed in a shooting in Lorain on Wednesday which injured two other officers. Wagner was a Marine veteran originally from Arizona who joined the Lorain Police Department in 2022. He leaves behind a wife and three children. "These are men and women, mothers and fathers, sons and daughters and all of us that wear the badge know that call -- shots fired, officer in trouble," Jay McDonald, president of the State Fraternal Order of Police, said at the service. "And all of us know the courage of those who respond to that call. "Even through this grief that consumes us ... We are not done running to protect those like Phil and those who serve. We will not stop working to ensure every officer's safety. Today we mourn, but tomorrow we must act... This sacrifice must not be in vain." Hundreds of police cars from across Ohio filled both lanes of Ontario Street, as thousands of officers filed out of them and into the arena for the funeral. Their dress uniforms bore patches representing seemingly every police department in Northeast Ohio, as well as many more from across Ohio and beyond. Officer Jim Gilpin, of the Kenton County Police Department in Kentucky, left home at 3 a.m. on Wednesday to attend the funeral. "When you lose a brother, it doesn't matter where it happens," Gilpin said. "When something like this happens, we have to show support. I'm here to support the Lorain police, the officers and their families. (Driving six hours) for this is no problem at all." Another group of officers from afar had travelled from New York City, Connecticut and Chicago, representing Brotherhood for the Fallen, a group which supports the families of law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty. "We are here to show support for the family, the citizens and the various departments on behalf of our own cities and departments," Chicago police Officer Daniel Lopez said. "We also try to gather funds as a chapter to support the families and their immediate needs. A lot of people don't realize that when situations like this happen, the family often loses their main breadwinner, who was doing their duty for the people." In addition to the thousands of officers and their families, many members of the public were in attendance to mourn Wagner and support Lorain police. "I wanted to grieve with the family, obviously not while getting too close," John Keaney of Cleveland said. "Any time something like this happens, it is just a tragedy." An estimated 5,000 police officers and their families are in attendance at Lorain police Officer Phillip Wagner's funeral service at Rocket Arena in Cleveland today. Just moments after dawn today, nearly the entire Lorain Police Department sat waiting in their vehicles outside of headquarters, waiting to start the procession. Dressed in formal attire and dark suits, the members of the police department were joined by Lorain officials, including Bradley and Failing. Once the officers were given the go ahead, the vehicles began to move out. It was the beginning of Wagner's funeral procession. Some vehicles began with wailing sirens, others rolled along in silence. Nearly all of them drove with emergency lights on. The early morning sun hung over the Black River as the final vehicle passed eastward over the Charles Berry Bridge — on to Liston Funeral Home in North Ridgeville, and then to the arena in downtown Cleveland. This story will be updated.