NORTH CODORUS, Pa. (AP/ KYW Newsradio) — Three police officers were killed and two others were critically wounded during a domestic-related call in York County on Wednesday afternoon, authorities said. The gunman, identified as 24-year-old Matthew James Ruth, was also killed.
The shooting happened in North Codorus Township, about 115 miles west of Philadelphia.
Ruth was being sought on stalking and trespassing charges, according to court documents and law enforcement. Police had been to the scene the day before, then returned Wednesday afternoon to search for Ruth, who was also charged with loitering and prowling at night.
In an afternoon press conference on Thursday, officials said the mother of his ex-girlfriend made the initial call to police after Ruth was caught on motion-activated cameras around the property the night before peering towards the house with binoculars. Officials said he was also armed with an "AR-15-style rifle," and that his ex-girlfriend was also able to identify him in the security footage. Authorities said the ex-girlfriend also revealed that she believed Ruth was behind her truck being set on fire back on Aug. 20 at the property. That incident wasn't reported to police until Sept. 11.
On the day of the shootout, five detectives with Northern York County Regional Police initially visited Ruth's house in Hanover to serve a warrant, but he wasn't there. They interviewed his family members before returning to his ex-girlfriend's house in North Codorus Township.
York County District Attorney Tim Barker said the five detectives were joined by a deputy sheriff at the property and they found the house unlocked. Barker said as soon as the detectives went into the house to investigate, Ruth was waiting for them with an assault rifle and began firing. A shootout ensued that ended after a little more than two minutes. Three detectives — Detective Mark Baker, Detective Sgt. Cody Becker and Detective Isaiah Emenheiser — were killed along with Ruth.
The Philadelphia Fraternal Order of Police said in a statement Thursday that Detective Baker worked in the city's 25th Police District and highway patrol in the early 2000s before moving to York County.
The deputy sheriff and other detective are still in critical, but stable condition at the hospital. The ex-girlfriend and her mother were not at the residence at the time of the shootout and are uninjured.
"There is one motive that is clear for everything, and that is the hateful scourge of domestic violence," said Barker. "That is what brought us here, that is what brought law enforcement here. And yes, thanks to the actions of the Northern York County Regional Police Department supported by the York County Sheriff's Department, we have two lives of the residents there that are saved today."
Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday, who was York County DA before becoming PA Attorney General, said his thoughts were with the families of the deceased and injured law enforcement officers.
"The truth is every day they're standing up for the communities, and putting their lives on the line," he said.
The words echoed Governor Josh Shapiro's, who spoke at a press conference Wednesday night after the shooting.
“There are simply no words that I can offer to assuage the grief that this community has experienced, and unfortunately will continue to experience,” said Pennsylvania State Police Commissioner Christopher Paris. “The grief will be unbearable, but we will bear it.”
Paris said there’s no active threat in the area, and that the investigation is being aided by agencies including the FBI.
Gov. Josh Shapiro said he met with the families of the victims, and he addressed the issue of gun violence in Wednesday evening’s press briefing.
“These families took time to tell us how proud they are of their loved ones,” Shapiro said. “It’s an extraordinary thing these law enforcement families do. They support the individual who puts on the uniform and runs toward danger.”
Shapiro also used the briefing to call for broader reforms.
“We need to do better as a society,” he said. “We need to help the people who think picking up a weapon is the answer to resolving disputes. We need to do better when it comes to mental health so we don’t have to deal with tragedies like this.”
AG Sunday said the loss was “unfathomable.”
“Having served alongside these officers, I know of their caliber, their professionalism, and the lasting impact they had on our community,” Sunday said. “This loss is a heart-wrenching reminder of the sacrifices police officers and other first responders make every single day.
He called the officers “heroes” who put themselves in harm’s way to protect the public. Hours after the violence, community members held American flags and saluted as police and emergency vehicles formed a procession to the coroner’s office.
It marks one of the deadliest days for Pennsylvania police this century. In 2009, three Pittsburgh officers responding to a domestic disturbance were ambushed and shot to death by a man in a bulletproof vest.
Shapiro has ordered U.S. and Pennsylvania flags to be flown at half-staff. This comes just about seven months after a shooting at a hospital in Shiloh, York County, killed West York Police Officer Andrew Duarte.