Pennsylvania shooting: 3 cops killed, 2 injured in York County, PA, while serving warrant; suspect turned gun on himself
Three police officers were killed and two were injured in a shooting in southern Pennsylvania. The suspect was shot dead by police.
Three police officers were killed and two others injured in a shooting on Wednesday in southern Pennsylvania. Authorities say the suspect was shot and killed by police at the scene.
The officers had been responding to a domestic-related case that originated the day before, in a rural area surrounded by farmland, as reported by AP.
“This is an absolutely tragic and devastating day," Gov. Josh Shapiro said at a news conference. “We grieve the loss of life of three precious souls who served this county, who served this Commonwealth, who served this country.”
“This kind of violence is not OK. We need to do better as a society," Shapiro said.
The incident marked one of the deadliest days for law enforcement in Pennsylvania in recent memory. The last comparable tragedy occurred in 2009, when three Pittsburgh officers were ambushed and killed while responding to a domestic call by a gunman wearing a bulletproof vest.
In the aftermath of Wednesday’s shooting, police departments across the region shared messages of condolence on social media. At the same time, members of the public began leaving flowers outside the Northern York Regional Police Department headquarters to honour the fallen officers.
“The grief will be unbearable, but we will bear it,” said Pennsylvania State Police Commissioner Christopher Paris, who pledged a full, fair investigation.
The shooting erupted in the area of North Codorus Township, about 115 miles (185 km) west of Philadelphia, not far from the Maryland line, authorities said.
Dirk Anderson, a farmer who lives across a two-lane country road from the scene, said he was in his shop “when we heard shots,” which he described as “quite a few.” He saw a helicopter arrive and a large police vehicle response.
The two injured officers were in critical but stable condition at York Hospital, authorities said, AP reported.
Authorities did not identify the shooter, the officers or which police department they belonged to, or describe the circumstances of how they were shot, citing the ongoing investigation.
Another officer in the area was killed in February, when a man armed with a pistol and zip ties entered a hospital’s intensive care unit and took staff members hostage before a shootout that left both the suspect and an officer dead.
“We need to do better as a society,” Shapiro said. "We need to help the people who think that picking up a gun, picking up a weapon is the answer to resolving disputes. We need do better when it comes to mental health.
"We need to do better when it comes to looking out for those who are in need so we don’t have to deal with tragedies like this,” he said.
(With inputs from AP)