Journalism of Courage
At least three police officers were killed and two others remain critical in a shooting in the southern part of US’ Pennsylvania while serving a warrant, State Police Commissioner Christopher Paris said, Reuters reported.
Police said the suspect involved in the shooting also died from a self-inflicting gunshot wound. The incident took place around 2pm (local time) in the area of North Codorus Township, about 115 miles (185 km) west of Philadelphia, which is not far away from the Maryland line, authorities said.
York Hospital has said in a statement that it is treating two people who are in critical condition and the enhanced security protocols remain in place, Associated Press reported. A BBC report added that photos from the spot showed a police officer being airlifted from the scene in a medical helicopter.
Due to the shooting, a nearby school district in Spring Grove, Pennsylvania was forced to be a shelter spot for a brief period. The town has about 2,500 people. The district later informed that the school had not been affected.
In a press briefing, Pennsylvania State Police Commissioner Christopher Paris said, “The grief will be unbearable but we will bear it. We will not rest until we conduct a full fair and competent investigation into this matter,” AP reported.
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro also reacted to the incident and said, “We grieve for the loss of life of three precious souls who served this county, served this commonwealth, served this country.”
Shapiro further added, “This kind of violence is not OK, we need to do better as a society.”
Attorney General Pam Bondi informed that federal officers were on the scene to aid local police officers as she termed the violence against police “a scourge on our society”.
Police have not provided any detail about the suspect and who all were involved in the shooting.
