A married police officer took his own life just hours after his colleague was fatally shot during a drug operation in Cleveland.
The tragic incident occurred on Thursday when 39-year-old police officer Nick Sabo, who was a husband and a father, ended his life following the unexpected death of his colleague.
According to the reports, 53-year-old detective James Skernivitz was shot dead along with a 50-year-old informant identified as Scott Dingess during a drug operation in the city.
As Skernivitz, who had been working for the Cleveland Police Department for more than twenty years, was waiting with his informant in an unmarked vehicle, the pair was approached by three people and shot dead.
Following the shooting, the police arrested three individuals, including two juveniles, and brought them in for questioning.
“It could have been random, it could have been targeted. We don’t know. We’re still investigating,” Police Chief Calvin Williams stated.
Speaking of the veteran cop’s death, U.S. Attorney General William Barr vowed not to “forget Detective Skernivitz and his life of service and sacrifice.”
“It takes a special kind of courage to be a police officer,” he said as he expressed it was “a very sad day for the city of Cleveland and the entire law enforcement community.”
Following just hours after his colleague’s death, 39-year-old Nick Sabo committed suicide at his home, leaving behind his wife and children.
According to the reports, Sabo and Skernivitz knew each other, whereas Sabo shared a post related to his colleague’s death just moments before taking his life.
“I don’t think anybody out there can really understand what the division is going through. The loss of an officer in the line of duty, especially to violence, is a terrible tragedy. But two officers in one night is really bad,” Williams added according to FOX 8.
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