Journalism of Courage
Authorities identified 24-year-old Matthew James Ruth of Hanover as the gunman who ambushed officers in North Codorus Township on Wednesday afternoon, AP reported. Police say Ruth opened fire with an AR-15-style rifle as officers entered his ex-girlfriend’s home to serve an arrest warrant connected to a domestic violence case.
Three detectives: Sgt. Cody Becker, Mark Baker, and Isaiah Emenheiser were killed. Two others, including a York County sheriff’s deputy, were seriously injured. Ruth was shot dead by officers who fired back in response.
District Attorney Tim Barker said Ruth had been stalking his ex-girlfriend and was captured on a trail camera the night before, dressed in camouflage and carrying a rifle. After evading police that night, he returned to the woman’s home, where officers later found him waiting. When detectives opened the unlocked front door, Ruth unleashed a barrage of gunfire with a suppressor-equipped AR-15.
According to AP, one sheriff’s deputy was shot in the exchange but survived. Another detective returned fire, killing Ruth and preventing what Barker called a “murderous rampage” from spreading further. Inside the home, investigators also found the ex-girlfriend’s black Labrador shot dead in the basement.
“Each of these men represented the best of policing. They served with professionalism, dedication and courage. They were leaders within our agency, committed to protecting this community and standing beside their fellow officers,” Chief Dave Lash said.
Investigators say the violence was a result of Ruth’s obsession with his ex-girlfriend. The night before the shooting, her mother called police after spotting a man in camouflage peering into the house with binoculars.
Officers searched for him, but he managed to slip away. They returned on Wednesday with misdemeanour warrants, suspecting him of past harassment, including an incident where the woman’s car was set on fire in August.
Earlier Wednesday, police visited Ruth’s home in Hanover, about 10 miles away, but he wasn’t there. Relatives spoke briefly with investigators before they left. Barker said he couldn’t immediately describe how Ruth got into the ex-girlfriend’s house, but said Ruth had “carefully surveilled the entire residence and the outbuilding areas” and even shot and killed the family dog, a black Labrador, after he entered the home.
Neighbours described hearing 30 or more gunshots before helicopters and dozens of police vehicles swarmed the rural road. “It’s strange walking down this road now and seeing all these cars and knowing what happened here,” said Bryan Rice, a local resident, according to AP.
Governor Josh Shapiro called it one of the darkest days for law enforcement in recent memory. “We need to do better as a society,” he said. “We need to help the people who think that picking up a gun, picking up a weapon, is the answer to resolving disputes.”The ambush marked one of Pennsylvania’s deadliest incidents for police since 2009, when three Pittsburgh officers were gunned down during another domestic violence call.
District Attorney Barker said he wouldn’t speculate on the gunman’s full background but said, “There is one motive though that is clear for everything. And that is the hateful scourge of domestic violence,” he said. “That is what brought us here. That is what brought law enforcement here.”
(With inputs from AP)
