VERMILION — The shooting death of a 36-year-old Vermilion man was ruled a homicide Thursday.

Police Chief Bob Kish is still keeping mum about the death of Jeremy Simko, but did say that after two days at 2001 North Ridge Road, there is a lot of evidence to be processed including guns taken from the home.

Lorain County Coroner Dr. Paul Matus confirmed that he ruled the case a homicide but declined to comment further on the findings of an autopsy which he performed on Simko on Thursday.

Kish also declined to comment on other evidence collected. He also couldn’t give details on what happened.

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“Someone was killed in that house,” he said. “What have to explore all the angles. We can’t pigeon-hole it at this time. The highest charge right now is murder. There could be additional charges depending on what the circumstances were.”
Police were called to 2001 North Ridge Road just after 6 a.m. Wednesday and found Simko in his bedroom, dead of a gunshot wound.

Kish said Thursday he still couldn’t comment on the type of gun used or where Simko was shot because it might compromise witness accounts.

In the 911 call, Simko’s wife, Julene, is heard telling the operator, “Somebody shot my husband.”

Crying and often unintelligible, she also tells the operator at various points during the duration of the call that someone was in the house, that someone in the house shot at her husband, that he was in their bed, that she wasn’t near him when he was shot and that he’d been shot in the front of his head.

The dispatcher talked her through CPR, although Julene Simko described her husband’s skin as blue and said he wasn’t breathing.

Kish acknowledged neighbors want answers and are concerned, but he said preserving the integrity of the investigation takes priority.

“We have to be able to prove what happened,” Kish said, adding that is why details are not being released. “We can’t jeopardize the investigation by releasing too much information.”

Kish said his officers were at the scene all of Wednesday and were back out again Thursday morning.

“We do not know exactly what happened,” Kish said. “We’re trying to sort it out.”

The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation and Identification and the county Prosecutor’s Office are also assisting with the investigation, Kish said.

Julene Simko is reportedly staying with family members.

Contact Alicia Castelli at 329-7144 or acastelli@chroniclet.com.