ELYRIA, OH - An Elyria Police Officer was shot and killed late Monday evening while on-duty. Police then gunned down the suspected shooter as he attempted to flee the scene.
According to a dispatcher recording, the incident happened at 10 p.m. when a woman called 9-1-1 and told police that her neighbor came over naked, kicked in the window of her home and exposed himself to her child. The man then went back home.
911 CALL
DISPATCHER: 911. Do you need police, fire or ambulance?
CALLER: I need the police at 328 18th Street
DISPATCHER: In Elyria? In Elyria?
CALLER: Yes, yes
DISPATCHER: Handing it to Elyria Police
CALLER: Oh my goodness
The neighbor causing the disturbance, Ronald Palmer, reportedly had a violent mental illness and previous arrests. 19 Action News has learned the house where the fatal shooting happened was the same place Palmer threatened to kill a 56-year-old Elyria woman back in 2009.
43-year-old Officer James Kerstetter went to the residence of Ronald Palmer located at 326 18th Street and entered his home. Palmer allegedly shot the officer and then exited the home. Officer Kerstetter called for back-up and told dispatch that he had been shot.
When Palmer exited the home, he was confronted by Elyria Police who then shot him dead.
Dozens of friends, family and Elyria Police Department co-workers gathered outside of Elyria Memorial Hospital to mourn the loss of Officer Kerstetter.
Around 2:15 a.m., as a traditional act, the body of Officer Kerstetter was driven to the front of the Elyria Police Station where they paused for a short time before proceeding to the Coroner.
The autopsy will be conducted Monday morning.
Officer Kerstetter was a fifteen year veteran of the Elyria Police Force and had worked before that with the Lorain County Sheriff's Office.
Kerstetter served the Elyria Police Department as an Accident Investigator, Field Training Officer and a member of the Special Response Team.
"He was involved in everything he could think of as far as police work goes," said Elyria Chief Duane Whitely. "He was on our SWAT team, he was one of our accident
re-constructionists. Just a quality guy through and through."
Kerstetter is survived by his wife, Tammy, and three daughters - 17-year-old Misty,
14-year-old Shelby and 8-year-old Brittany.
Officer Kerstetter was the son of James Kerstetter, the longtime Elyria Township Fire Chief.
A memorial fund has been set up for Officer Kerstetter. Donations can be made to the James Kerstetter Memorial Fund at any First Merit Bank.
This is the first officer fatality in 67-years for the Elyria Police Department. For a list of fallen police officers in the state of Ohio and fallen police officer statistics, click here.
The Elyria Police Color Guard will not march in Wednesday's St. Patrick's Day Parade in Cleveland in the wake of Officer Kerstetter's murder.
Elyria Police Officer Killed In the Line of Duty, Suspect Killed by Cops
ELYRIA POLICE
177
Officer James A. Kerstetter
A special Thanks goes out to our men and women in Blue, Black and Gray.
After this shooting took place Elyria Police we're under manned, This Thank you goes out to Lorain County S.O. and post 47 and sounding Departments that raced to the scene to help in anyway they could, State Highway covered area as L.C.S.O. patrolled our streets in Elyria, so remember, not all officers wear Blue! Thank you to our Law Enforcement community. Commutation between departments in time like this is very needed, keep the Chiefs meetings going. Be Safe.
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It will get to the family, I will see to it. God Bless
