A police officer was killed and multiple people were wounded Saturday when a gunman took hospital staff hostage at UPMC Memorial Hospital, in York, Pennsylvania, before being fatally shot by law enforcement, authorities said.
York County District Attorney Tim Barker identified the shooter as 49-year-old Diogenes Archangel-Ortiz. According to Barker, the suspect entered the hospital’s intensive care unit armed with a pistol and zip ties, restraining a female hospital staff member before officers intervened.
Gunfire erupted when police confronted Archangel-Ortiz, who was holding the staff member at gunpoint with her hands bound. Three hospital workers—a doctor, a nurse, and a custodian—along with two officers were shot and wounded. Another staffer was injured while attempting to escape.
Barker said officers acted appropriately.
“It is absolutely clear, beyond any doubt, that officers were justified in using deadly force,” Barker said during a press briefing.
Authorities believe Archangel-Ortiz had previously visited the hospital’s ICU earlier in the week for a “medical-related matter involving another individual” and deliberately targeted the facility.
The fallen officer was identified as Andrew Duarte of the West York Borough Police Department.
“We are heartbroken and grieving this tragic loss,” West York Borough Manager Shawn Mauck told The Associated Press.
Duarte, a law enforcement veteran, joined the department in 2022 after serving five years with the Denver Police Department. According to his LinkedIn profile, he received a “hero award” in 2021 from Mothers Against Drunk Driving for his work in impaired driving enforcement in Colorado.
Colleagues described Duarte as a dedicated officer and respected member of the department.
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro met with Duarte’s family and wounded officers Saturday evening.
“Their willingness to run toward danger saved lives,” Shapiro wrote on X. “I am grateful for their bravery and for all law enforcement officers who answered the call today in York.”
At a memorial in front of the West York Borough Police Department, residents placed flowers in Duarte’s honor. Linda Shields, a local resident whose son is a police officer in Maryland, left roses and expressed grief over the loss.
“He was so young,” Shields said. “It makes no sense at all.”
Shapiro called the attack on police and health care workers “the act of a coward.”
The shooting at UPMC Memorial is the latest in a series of violent incidents at medical centers across the United States.
Health care workers face rising threats, with hospitals becoming frequent targets of violence. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the health care sector now experiences more workplace violence injuries than any other profession.
Recent incidents include:
– In 2023, a shooter killed a security guard in the lobby of New Hampshire’s state psychiatric hospital before being fatally shot by police.
– In 2022, a man shot and killed two hospital employees in Dallas while visiting for the birth of his child.
– In May 2022, a gunman opened fire in an Atlanta medical center waiting room, killing one woman and wounding four others.
– In June 2022, a shooter killed his surgeon and three others at a Tulsa, Oklahoma, medical office, blaming the doctor for his post-surgical pain.
UPMC Memorial Hospital, a five-story, 104-bed facility in York, Pennsylvania, opened in 2019.
Authorities continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding the attack.
