NORTH CODORUS, Pa. (WHTM) — The three officers who were killed Wednesday in an ambush by a suspect in York County, Pennsylvania, have been identified as Det. Sgt. Cody Becker, Det. Mark Baker, and Det. Isaiah Emenheiser of the Northern York County Regional Police.
The suspect, who was killed by police, has been identified as 24-year-old Matthew James Ruth, the ex-boyfriend of a woman at the property police responded to Wednesday afternoon.
According to court documents, police had been called to the same area 15 hours prior to the shooting for a report of a man looking into a home with binoculars. Police say the woman who made the complaint later identified that man as Ruth, an ex-boyfriend.
Police searched for Ruth, but did not find him. Officers obtained an arrest warrant for Ruth on charges including stalking, loitering and prowling, and criminal trespass.
PA Gov. Josh Shapiro orders flags to fly at half-staff in honor of fallen officers
On Wednesday, the officers returned to the area to search for Ruth and interviewed his family. Police returned to the ex-girlfriend’s property to continue the search and found that the front door was unlocked despite no one being home.
York County District Attorney Tim Barker said the officers opened the front door and were immediately met with gunfire from Ruth, who had an AR-15 style rifle equipped with a suppressor. All three officers died at the scene from their injuries after what Barker called a “brutal ambush.”
The fourth Northern York officer and the deputy sheriff were toward the road and returned fire at Ruth. Both the officer and deputy sheriff were injured and continued to return fire.
One of the surviving officers is in critical but stable condition and the second surviving officer was in satisfactory condition as of Thursday afternoon, according to WellSpan Health.
DA Barker says Ruth then moved toward the road and continued a gunfight with law enforcement until he was fatally struck. Autopsies are pending, and details will be released at a later date.
DA Barker said it’s believed Ruth also killed a dog at the property.
Calls for the Northern York County Regional Police Department, where a memorial is growing outside, were being handled by the Pennsylvania State Police in the hours after the shooting.
The FBI and ATF have offered assistance in the investigation, and U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi contacted Governor Shapiro on Wednesday. She called the violence “a scourge on our society.”
The governor has ordered flags in the Commonwealth to fly at half-staff, and vigils are being held across the region for the fallen officers.
Wednesday’s shooting is the second time this year York County has experienced the loss of an officer. In February, West York Borough Office Andrew Duarte was fatally shot at UPMC Memorial Hospital after responding to a hostage situation in the ICU.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
