Officer fatally shot after gunman took hostages at a hospital in PA | Law Enforcement Today

YORK, PA - On Saturday, February 22nd, an officer lost his life and two others were injured after a man armed with a gun and zip ties walked into a Pennsylvania hospital's intensive care unit and took staff members hostage.

According to the Associated Press (AP), the shootout left the armed man dead. Three workers at UPMC Memorial Hospital, including a doctor, a nurse, and a custodian were shot and wounded in the attack. A fourth staffer was injured in a fall during the chaos. York County District Attorney Tim Barker said that gunfire erupted after officers went to engage the shooter, who has since been identified as 49-year-old Diogenes Archangel-Ortiz.

Barker said that Archangel-Ortiz was holding at gunpoint a female staff member who had her hands bound with zip ties when police opened fired. At a press conference following the shooting, Barker said, "This is a huge loss to our community. It is absolutely clear, and beyond any and all doubt, that the officers were justified in taking their action using deadly force."

The officer who lost his life has been identified as Andrew Duarte of the West Borough Police Department. Duarte was a law enforcement veteran who joined the department in 2022 after five years with the Denver Police Department. In 2021, he received a "hero award" from Mothers Against Drunk Driving for his work in impaired driving enforcement for the state of Colorado.

West York Borough Manager Shawn Muack said, "We all have broken hearts and are grieving at his loss." While in Denver, Duarte also worked as a patrol officer and was highly regarded for his work, and he was close friends with other officers. Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said on X, "Their willingness to run toward danger helped save the lives of others. I'm grateful to them and all law enforcement who answered the call today in York."

Speaking about Duarte, he said, "He was so young. It makes no sense at all." Shapiro called the attack on police and health care workers "the act of a coward." Barker said that although the investigation is in its early stages, it appears that Archangel-Ortiz had previous contact with the hospital's ICU earlier in the week for a "medical purpose involving another individual" and he intentionally targeted the workers there.

Duarte's mother, Nancy Duarte Matarese, spoke with NBC News and said, "I had the feeling that Andrew had been called to his eternal home with the Lord, and that he wasn't here with us anymore." Barely 24 hours after learning that her only son had died a hero, Duarte Matarese found herself in front of the West York Borough Police Department visiting a memorial of flowers, candles, and balloons set up by community members.

She said, "He had a warrior heart and a warrior spirit." She said that she is humbled by the response from both the community and officials, adding, "This is a little, tiny borough, a small, little community, and to have people come out, they don't necessarily know him at all, but to show their support. I really, really appreciate it."

She said she was close with her son and he was always a joy to be with. She believed he was give unique talents to be an officer. She added, "I'm not surprised that he answered the call. I'm not surprised he was one of the ones in the front. He was a mighty warrior. That's Andrew."