Pennsylvania State Police vehicles and emergency responders at scene of York County police shooting. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
Pennsylvania authorities have identified the suspect in the fatal shooting that left three police officers dead and two others injured, one of whom returned fire and killed the gunman.While police have not publicly released his name, two state law enforcement officials told CNN the suspect was 24-year-old Matthew James Ruth.Who was Matthew James Ruth?
- Court records in York County, where the shooting occurred, show that Ruth was facing charges of stalking, loitering and prowling at night, as well as criminal trespass, on the day of the attack.
- He was the ex-boyfriend of the woman who lived in the farmhouse that officers approached Wednesday afternoon to serve a warrant.
- The warrant was issued for Ruth’s arrest after the woman reported seeing him stalking the farmhouse the day before.
- Police had tried to serve Ruth with the order on Tuesday but were unable to find him, leading officers to return to the farmhouse the next afternoon.
- When officers returned the next day, Ruth appeared to be lying in wait. Investigators said he was dressed in camouflage, though it remains unclear whether he had been waiting for his ex-girlfriend.
Condemnation pours inPennsylvania governor Josh Shapiro condemned the violence at a news conference and said it was a “tragic loss of life.” US attorney general Pamela Bondi called the violence against police “a scourge on our society.” Hours after the shootout, community members held American flags and saluted as police and emergency vehicles formed a procession to the coroner’s office.The two injured officers were critical but stable. Authorities have not identified the officers or which police department they belonged to, or describe how they were shot, citing the 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 man and an officer dead.
