SPRINGFIELD — It was an overcast day, but a pleasant one, Charles Bauer recalled.

Bauer and his wife, Bonnie, were returning home from a church function Saturday when spirits that had been upbeat all morning took a tragic turn.

Driving along the winding driveway of their Pike Twp. home, the Bauers spotted sheriff’s office vehicles and their thoughts immediately turned to their daughter, Suzanne.

“I thought she could’ve been in a traffic accident,” said Bauer. “When I saw (their) faces, I knew it was more than that.”

The tragic news they learned was that Suzanne Waughtel Hopper, a Clark County Deputy Sheriff and mother of two teenage children, had been shot to death that morning in the line of duty.

As investigators sift through the events, members of the community, family and friends closed ranks in support of Hopper’s loved ones.

“We’re strong in our faith,” said Bauer. “We think that things happen for a purpose. I think we’ll find that this didn’t happen in vain.”

‘She had that contagious smile’

If you encountered Suzanne Waughtel Hopper, 40, with a glum look on your face, she was the type to turn that frown upside down.

“She tried to make positives out of negatives as much as she could,” said Deputy Andrew Biggert, Clark County Sheriff’s Office.

Biggert, who worked with Hopper over the years in the Clark County Jail and on the road, said he had a “brother-sister” relationship with the deputy.

“We fought sometimes,” he said. “But we laughed, too.”

Her sunny outlook was a quality she had since childhood, said Bill Rower, a retired teacher from Northwestern Local School District.

“She had that contagious smile,” said Rower. “She had the kind of face you enjoyed coming into the room.”

Biggert said Hopper’s determination to serve others was apparent in her work.

“She was driven, she wanted to get the call taken care of,” he said. “She would go above and beyond the investigation.”

The shockwaves Hopper’s death has sent through the community goes beyond description, Biggert said.

“Everybody’s just numb,” he said. “You don’t think it will ever happen here.”

Investigation and fallout

The violence began after Hopper responded to Enon Beach after receiving a report of shots fired into a trailer around 11:30 a.m. Saturday, said Clark County Sheriff Gene Kelly.

The residents who called authorities said the bullet came through a window, but that they had no idea who fired the shot, Kelly said.

After speaking with the residents, Hopper and Sergeant Dustin White continued their investigation outside.

Hopper was taking photographs of footprints when investigators say a man in a nearby silver trailer emerged with a shotgun and fired, said Kelly.

The man believed to have killed Hopper, Michael L. Ferryman, 53, was found dead in his trailer after a gun battle that ensued when he reportedly fired on police.

German Twp. Patrolman Jeremy Blum was shot during the gunfight and was taken to Miami Valley Hospital where he was listed in fair condition Sunday.

Chief William Dickerson, German Twp. Police Department, said Blum was recovering Sunday and in good spirits.

“I told him I expect him back by Wednesday, no later,” Dickerson joked. “He said, ‘I’ll be there!’”

Dickerson said he didn’t believe anyone in his department had ever been wounded in the line of duty before.

“It’s tough, but you wouldn’t believe all the support that’s coming in,” said Dickerson.

Ferryman is known to the sheriff’s office, however, Kelly declined to say what the nature of their contact with him was.

Parallel investigations are being conducted: a criminal probe by the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation and Identification and an internal inquiry by the Clark County Sheriff’s Office.

Kelly said that due to both of those pending investigations, he would not comment on what investigators believe might have motivated the shooting.

He also declined to comment on how many shots might have been fired during the gunfight or what type of weapons investigators found in Ferryman’s trailer.

Enon Beach was evacuated after Hopper was shot and residents were able to return to their homes late Saturday, said Kelly.

Funeral arrangements are pending. Littleton & Rue Funeral Home, 830 N. Limestone St., is handling arrangments, he said.

Bauer said his family is turning to their faith to carry them through their despair.

Bauer said he harbors no resentment toward his daughter’s killer.

“I hate what he did, but I don’t hate him,” said Bauer. “God said, ‘Vengeance is mine.’ It’s all up to Him.”

Contact this reporter at (937) 328-0360 or vlough@coxohio.com.