Officer killed responding to hostage-taking at a Pennsylvania hospital, officials say

By Simon J. Levien and Lauren McCarthy

A Pennsylvania police officer was killed while responding to a shooting on Saturday at a hospital in York County, Pennsylvania, in which the gunman, who held hospital staff members as hostages and restrained one with a zip tie, was killed by police, authorities said.

The officer, Andrew Duarte, who served in the West Borough Police Department, had responded to a call to the hospital, UPMC Memorial, the borough said on Facebook.

“Our hearts break at the innocent loss of life,” the statement said, adding that the West Borough Police Department had “lost a comrade and friend.”

Duarte was one of three police officers struck by the gunman, who officials later identified as Diogenes Archangel-Ortiz, 49. The other two officers were in stable condition.

Three hospital staff members — a doctor, a nurse and custodian — were wounded and were in stable condition, officials said. Another staff member was hurt in a fall. No patients were injured.

York County District Attorney Tim Barker said at an afternoon news conference that Archangel-Ortiz targeted the intensive care unit of the hospital, which is in West Manchester Township. His motive was unknown.

Barker added that the gunman had recently contacted the hospital unit regarding a “medical purpose of another individual,” but Barker declined to provide further details. He also declined to provide additional background information about Archangel-Ortiz.

Around 10:35 a.m., the gunman entered the hospital with a handgun and zip ties, and soon took several staff members as hostages. The gunman opened fire at about 11 a.m., Susan Manko, a vice president of public relations for the hospital, said in a statement.

Archangel-Ortiz held a staff member at gunpoint as police officers readied to breach the ICU. He restrained one staff member’s hands with a zip tie. The officers tried to talk with the gunman.

When he came out into the hallway threatening the hostage, police officers opened fire, Barker said. The gunman also opened fire, striking the officers before being killed.

Those who were wounded were evaluated in the emergency department at WellSpan York Hospital in York, less than five miles from UPMC Memorial, according to a spokesperson for WellSpan.

Duarte was a member of the West York Police Department for nearly three years, according to his LinkedIn profile. Before that, he served as an officer in the Denver Police Department in Colorado for more than five years. He graduated from Pennsylvania Western University, California, in California, Pennsylvania, in 2016.

At the afternoon news conference, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said that he had been in contact with the White House about the shooting and thanked the Trump administration for its concern but said that the state did not need help from the federal government.

“Here in York County today, we saw the very best and the very worst of humanity,” Shapiro said, thanking law enforcement officers and hospital staff members for their bravery.

Michael Muldrow, the commissioner of the York City Police Department, said in a statement that he believed the shooting exemplified how officers respond to threats to public safety.

“Today is a sobering and humbling reminder of how much potential danger truly exists in the world (at any given time) and just how quickly situations can go bad,” Muldrow said.