Abdelrahman
A tragic incident occurred on Saturday when a police officer in Pennsylvania lost his life while responding to a shooting at UPMC Memorial Hospital in York County. The assailant, who took several hospital staff members hostage and used a zip tie to restrain one of them, was ultimately shot and killed by law enforcement, according to official reports.
The fallen officer, Andrew Duarte, served with the West Borough Police Department and answered a call for assistance at the hospital, as stated in a Facebook post by the borough. “We are heartbroken by the senseless loss of life,” the post remarked, emphasizing that the West Borough Police Department has “lost a comrade and a friend.”
Officer Duarte was among three officers injured in the attack, identified later by authorities as Diogenes Archangel-Ortiz, age 49. While Officer Duarte tragically succumbed to his injuries, the other two officers are currently in stable condition.
In addition to the police officers, three hospital staff members—a doctor, a nurse, and a custodian—sustained injuries but are reported to be stable. Another staff member was injured while trying to escape but thankfully, no patients were harmed during the ordeal.
York County District Attorney Tim Barker addressed the media later that day, revealing that Archangel-Ortiz had specifically targeted the hospital’s intensive care unit. The motives behind the attack remain unclear at this time.
