A shooter was killed by police after three officers were killed and two critically injured in southern Pennsylvania on Wednesday, authorities said.
The suspect, identified as Matthew James Ruth, 24, was being sought on stalking and trespassing charges, according to The Associated Press.
Police had been to the scene of a farm in rural York County the day before, then returned Wednesday afternoon to search for Ruth, who was also charged with loitering and prowling at night.
A representative for York County Office of Emergency Management told reporters that York County 911 received reports of a “police incident in North Codorus Township” at 2:10 p.m. local time on Sept. 17.
After the call, “numerous police and EMS units responded to the scene,” the representative added.
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The emergency response unfolded on a rural road in south-central Pennsylvania. Officers were keeping people well back from the scene, with some 30 police vehicles blocking off roads bordered by a barn, a goat farm and soybean and corn fields.
During a press conference, Col. Christopher L. Paris, commissioner of the Pennsylvania State Police, said that there are “many details officials are not prepared to release, given the ongoing nature of the investigation.”
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“That having being said, we’d like to advise the community that there is no current active threat,” Paris said. “The situation today involved law enforcement officers who were shot. I can confirm that the shooter is dead.”
Paris confirmed that five law enforcement officers were shot, “three fatally and two that were transported here to WellSpan in York.”
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He added that the two officers in hospital are “listed in critical but stable condition.”
“The grief will be unbearable but we will bear it,” said Paris, who pledged a full and fair investigation.
Authorities did not name the officers or which police department they belonged to, nor did they reveal the circumstances of how they were shot, citing the ongoing investigation.
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Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said he and other officials met with the slain officers’ families, who, while grieving, took the time to say how proud they were of their loved ones.
“This is an absolutely tragic and devastating day,” Shapiro said during the press 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. 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 to 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 added.
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Shapiro said that he had ordered “U.S. and Pennsylvania flags on all public buildings across the Commonwealth to be lowered to half staff” in memory of the officers.
Condolences began pouring in from police departments in the U.S. on social media, and people began leaving flowers at the headquarters of the Northern York Regional Police Department.
Dozens of police and emergency vehicles with lights flashing formed a procession to the coroner’s office. People lined the road holding American flags and saluted as it passed.
Police officers ride during a procession on Sept. 17, 2025, in Spring Grove, Pa., after multiple police officers were shot and killed.
AP Photo/Matt Slocum
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi called the violence against police “a scourge on our society and never acceptable.” She said federal agents were on the scene to support local officers.
Austin Davis, Lt.-Gov. of Pennsylvania, asked the public to “please send prayers to the officers and those involved in the shooting in York County.”
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“As we learn more, follow all guidance from police and stay away from the area,” Davis added.
Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday released a statement on X, writing, “The death of any public servant is an absolute tragedy. Learning that three officers were killed in York County where I worked for many years as a prosecutor, and where I still call home, is unfathomable.”
“This loss is a heart-wrenching reminder of the sacrifices police officers and other first responders make every single day,” he continued. “They serve because they are proud, true to their oath, and selfless in their duty. They put themselves in harm’s way to protect all of us, regardless of the danger to themselves.”
— With files from The Associated Press
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