Recordpub.com - Twinsburg officer killed on duty Joshua Miktarian was 1993 graduate of Tallmadge High School

By Andrew Schunk

Twinsburg Bulletin

TWINSBURG -- Twinsburg Police Officer Joshua Miktarian, 33, was shot and killed following a traffic stop near the intersection of S.R. 91 and Glenwood Drive just before 2 a.m. Sunday.

According to police, a 23-year-old male suspect fled the scene but was apprehended hours later by Bedford Heights Police, on Cambridge Drive in Bedford Heights.

The man, whose identity has not been released, is being held in Summit County jail, according to Twinsburg Officer Tom Austin. A firearm of unknown caliber was recovered as evidence, Austin said.

According Austin, Miktarian, an 11-year K-9 officer with the city, stopped a vehicle at 1:54 a.m. for unknown reasons at the 2400 block of Glenwood Drive.

Miktarian requested assistance over the radio at 1:56 a.m., Austin said, and a 911 call was placed "at nearly the same time" by a resident from the same block of Glenwood Drive to Twinsburg dispatch.

At 1:57 a.m., a status check call on Miktarian was placed from Twinsburg dispatch to Miktarian's cruiser. There was no response from the officer, Austin said.

"The 911 caller reported hearing shouting between two people and then popping sounds," Austin said.

Officers from Twinsburg and surrounding communities immediately responded to the scene, where they discovered Miktarian laying on the ground near his cruiser. Miktarian was taken by helicopter to MetroHealth Medical Center in Cleveland, where he was pronounced dead, according to Twinsburg Fire Department Capt. Steve Bosso.

Bagio, the K-9 german shepard that teamed with Miktarian, was in the back of Miktarian's cruiser and was uninjured, according to police.

Prior to joining the Twinsburg force Feb. 24, 1997, Miktarian had worked as a full-time police officer in Uniontown.

He had recently resumed part-time police work in Uniontown.

Miktarian graduated from Tallmadge High School in 1993 and lived in Tallmadge with his wife, Holly, and 3-month-old daughter, Thea. Friends say Miktarian owned a Gionino's Pizza establishment in Sagamore Hills, and enjoyed playing in his rock band, Barium.

The Twinsburg Bulletin is a sister paper of the Record-Courier.

8.	Posted by brownscountryoh@aol.com July 15, 2008
	considering a week earlier we had a gun toting father of (12!) shot down at 4 something in the morning and people protest...there would have been a couple more officers down..the world has gone nuts! he has no priors? yes he does, do your research on the municipal court websites..no priors for cold-blooded murder but he DOES have priors for being defiant to authorities..im sure this officer would see fit his daughter laid down for bed before 4 am be it 4th of july or not.. we were all taught theres nothing but trouble out there at 4 am... tell them corice street resident to start doing right by thier children or they are raising another generation of cop-killers. rest in peace josh. i had dinner with your loving family when i was a young girl. what a wonderful family you have. my prayers are with them all.. you go now and join a host of angels to wait for us...

7.	Posted by brownscountryoh@aol.com July 15, 2008
	considering a week earlier we had a gun toting father of (12!) shot down at 4 something in the morning and people protest...there would have been a couple more officers down..the world has gone nuts! he has no priors? yes he does, do your research on the municipal court websites..no priors for cold-blooded murder but he DOES have priors for being defiant to authorities..im sure this officer would see fit his daughter laid down for bed before 4 am be it 4th of july or not.. we were all taught theres nothing but trouble out there at 4 am... tell them corice street resident to start doing right by thier children or they are raising another generation of cop-killers. rest in peace josh. i had dinner with your loving family when i was a young girl. what a wonderful family you have. my prayers are with them all.. you go now and join a host of angels to wait for us...

6.	Posted by brownscountryoh@aol.com July 15, 2008
	considering a week earlier we had a gun toting father of (12!) shot down at 4 something in the morning and people protest...there would have been a couple more officers down..the world has gone nuts! he has no priors? yes he does, do your research on the municipal court websites..no priors for cold-blooded murder but he DOES have priors for being defiant to authorities..im sure this officer would see fit his daughter laid down for bed before 4 am be it 4th of july or not.. we were all taught theres nothing but trouble out there at 4 am... tell them corice street resident to start doing right by thier children or they are raising another generation of cop-killers. rest in peace josh. i had dinner with your loving family when i was a young girl. what a wonderful family you have. my prayers are with them all.. you go now and join a host of angels to wait for us...

5.	Posted by delclayman July 14, 2008
	This is a terrible, terrible tragedy. Another officer killed because of a ruthless and animalistic thug. Another wife and child left to put the pieces of thier lives back together. A little girl who will never really know her daddy. A fellow human who gave his life to protect us from harm. This is more than overwhelming for me. I am sure this piece of human garbage will pull the self defense card and attempt to drag the good name of this heroic and courageous young officer through the mud in an attempt to save his own A$$ from the needle. I believe there is a special place in hell for these scumbags. I will celebrate on the day the legal system finally puts him to death. The appeals will drag on but we can be patient and watch. We can also understand he will be judged in another life. More severely and eternally. This type of terrible event can happen in any town, any place at any time. We should not fool ourselves that this cannot touch us. With that in mind I believe we should continually support our saftey forces morally and financialy as they are what stands between us and the animals and preditors of society. make no mistake, there are crazy, sick and twisted people out there that will do you harm for little or no reason. Should we all take to the street with guns, NO. But we should Thank god everyday for these men and women who keep us safe. They are the reason most of us take our relative safety for granted everyday. Bless this hero and his family. My heartfelt sympathy and understanding to the family and the members of the Twinsburg Police Department. I will remember.