Five police officers were shot by a suspect on Wednesday in York County, Pennsylvania, leaving three police officers dead and two hospitalized in critical condition.
Pennsylvania State Police Commissioner Col. Christopher Paris confirmed during a Wednesday press conference that three police officers were killed and two were wounded after a suspect fired at them while the police officers were following up on a “domestic-related” investigation that was launched on Tuesday.
“There are simply no words that I can offer to assuage the grief that this community has experienced and, unfortunately, will continue to occur,” Paris said. “The grief will be unbearable, but we will bear it.”
While the Pennsylvania State Police did not initially identify the suspect, Paris confirmed that the suspect was shot and killed by police officers during Wednesday’s incident. According to WGAL, the suspect was later identified as 24-year-old Matthew James Ruth.
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The New York Post reported that a probable cause affidavit shows that Ruth was charged on Tuesday with criminal trespass, prowling at nighttime, and stalking after the suspect was accused of stalking a woman’s home in North Codorus Township at night.
During Wednesday’s press conference, Paris said the two wounded police officers were transported to Wellspan York Hospital and were in critical but stable condition. Paris added that police officials believed there was “no threat to the community” following Wednesday’s incident; however, he added, “We’re leaving no stone unturned and we’re going to run every lead down.”
“This is an absolutely tragic and devastating day for York County and for the entire Commonwealth of Pennsylvania,” Gov. Josh Shapiro (D-Pa.) told reporters. “[We] grieve for the loss of life for the three precious souls who served this county, served this commonwealth, and served this country. We continue to pray for the full recovery of those who are dealing with their wounds.”
“This kind of violence isn’t OK. We need to do better as a society,” Shapiro added. “We need to help the people who think picking up a gun, picking up a weapon is the answer to resolving disputes … So we don’t have to deal with tragedies like this.”
In a post on X, formerly Twitter, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi confirmed that the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were helping support local law enforcement officials in the aftermath of Wednesday’s fatal shooting incident.
“Violence against law enforcement is a scourge on our society and never acceptable,” Bondi tweeted. “Pray for the officers involved.”