On the afternoon of 17/9, York County police officers in Pennsylvania approached a farm in Spring Grove, North Codorus Township, to arrest 24-year-old Matthew Ruth on stalking charges.

Ruth's ex-girlfriend reported that the previous night, he had lurked around her mother's house, using binoculars to watch them from afar. Frightened, she and her mother fled and contacted the police.

Northern York Regional Police Department officers responded to the house late on the night of 16/9. Surveillance footage showed a man in camouflage clothing carrying an AR-15-style rifle across his chest. The woman identified the stalker as her ex-boyfriend, Ruth.

Officers searched for Ruth on the night of 16/9 but were unsuccessful. They found his abandoned vehicle on a side street near the house. The ex-girlfriend stated they had only dated briefly and Ruth had never been to her house, nor had he been invited.

Officers obtained an arrest warrant from a judge. Aware that the suspect was armed, six York County officers took precautions on 17/9, including using a drone to survey the area.

However, the drone failed to detect Ruth, who was concealed in camouflage gear in a nearby cornfield.

Police secure the scene of the shooting that killed three officers and injured two others in York County, Pennsylvania, on 17/9. Photo: *AP*

According to York County District Attorney Tim Barker, while searching the property, officers found the front door of the ex-girlfriend's house unlocked. Upon entering, they were immediately ambushed by Ruth.

"As soon as the door opened, Ruth opened fire on the officers with a suppressed AR-15-style rifle," said Barker.

Four officers were hit, and two returned fire. Ruth then moved from his ambush position into the house and continued shooting, hitting another officer. The last officer shot Ruth, then called for backup and medical assistance.

Three officers—Cody Becker, Mark Baker, and Isaiah Emenheiser—were killed, and two were seriously injured in the two-minute ambush. Authorities also found the ex-girlfriend's Labrador retriever killed and left in the basement.

Witness Dave Miller reported hearing at least 30 gunshots. "It was like a war zone," he said.

When the shooting stopped, Miller was hiding in his car, unaware that Ruth had been killed. His heart pounded. "I couldn't believe what I was seeing," he recounted. "Then I looked at the rows of corn next to me and thought, 'if they haven't gotten him, he could be hiding, running through that cornfield.'"

From left: Mark Baker, Cody Becker, and Isaiah Emenheiser, the three police officers killed in the York County, Pennsylvania, shooting on 17/9. Photo: *AP*

Barker said authorities are investigating other possible motives. "But there's one motive that’s clear throughout this whole ordeal, and that’s the terrible scourge of domestic violence," he said. Barker confirmed that Ruth had no prior criminal record and legally owned the firearm.

Hours after the shooting, mourners carrying American flags gathered along a street in Spring Grove for a vigil honoring the slain officers. The incident occurred just months after another officer was killed in a shootout with a hostage-taker at a York County hospital. The assailant was also killed in that incident.

"To be here today with the law enforcement family for the second time this year, I just want to say very sincerely that our thoughts and prayers are with them, with the families of the deceased, and the families of the injured officers," said Colonel Christopher Paris, commissioner of the Pennsylvania State Police.

People carry American flags at a vigil for the slain officers in York County on the evening of 17/9. Photo: *AP*

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are assisting local officials with the investigation, Attorney General Pam Bondi posted on X on the afternoon of 17/9. "Violence against law enforcement is a scourge on our society and will never be tolerated. Prayers for these officers," she added.

According to FBI statistics released last month, reported assaults against law enforcement officers in 2024 reached a 10-year high.

"The shooting deaths of three officers in York County, where I served as a prosecutor for many years and still call home, is unfathomable," Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday posted on X. "The death of any person in the line of duty is an absolute tragedy."

Vu Hoang (*AP, CNN, AFP, Reuters*)