A police officer was killed after a gunman opened fire at a Pennsylvania hospital as he held staff hostage this weekend, according to officials.
On Saturday, Feb. 22, UPMC Memorial Hospital in York said in a social media post that a gunman — who it revealed is now “deceased” — fired shots inside the hospital. The area is “now secure,” the hospital added, and officers were on location “managing the situation.”
Andrew Duarte, an officer with the West York Borough Police Department (WYBPD), was killed in the shooting, the borough of West York announced on Facebook.
York County District Attorney Timothy Barker confirmed during a Feb. 22 news conference, shared by CBS affiliate WHP-TV and other outlets, that a gunman entered the hospital in the late morning carrying a bag with a handgun and zip ties inside.
The suspect — who has since been identified as 49-year-old Diogenes Archangel Ortiz — went “straight to the ICU” and held members of the UPMC staff hostage, Barker said.
The suspect shot three members of the hospital staff — including a doctor who was “grazed” by a bullet, plus a nurse and custodian who were listed in “stable condition” as of Saturday afternoon, the district attorney said. A fourth member of the medical staff also fell and suffered an injury, per authorities.
UPMC officers responded “right away,” Barker said, before the suspect “discharged his firearm.”
Sean Simmers/The Patriot-News via AP
According to NBC News, police responded to the scene around 11 a.m. local time. Multiple law enforcement agencies then also arrived in response, including the WYBPD, the West Manchester Township Police Department, the Northern York County Regional Police Department, Pennsylvania State Police and others,
After law enforcement made a “formation,” authorities discovered the suspect was holding a member of the UPMC staff at gunpoint and “ordered police to get back behind the doors,” Barker said.
The gunman eventually left the ICU holding a member of the hospital staff — who had her hands tied with zip ties — at gunpoint. Officers then opened fire, fatally shooting the suspect.
As Barker told local news outlets, three officers were also struck during the confrontation — two of whom were listed in stable condition and Duarte, who was fatally shot.
After reviewing evidence, including surveillance videos, the DA said he believed the officers were justified in using deadly force. UPMC said on Facebook that no patients were injured.
“Quite frankly, they needed to use deadly force, because by doing so they saved even more lives, even as they lost one of their own,” Barker said.
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Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro also spoke at the news conference, applauding law enforcement officers and hospital staff who “ran toward danger to keep people safe.”
An investigation into the shooting and additional details remains ongoing, according to Barker.
According to his LinkedIn page, the late officer joined the WYBPD in 2022 following five years at the Denver Police Department.
In its social media statement, the WYBPD asked “that the community come together in solidarity, respect and prayer at this time as broken hearts mourn,” encouraging locals to leave flowers at the police department’s offices.
“We also offer prayers for the other agencies involved and innocent members of the community involved at this time,” the WYBPD added. “Our agency has no further comment out of respect for the families involved and respect for the process.”
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