- The shooter, Matthew James Ruth, had been sought by police for alleged stalking and trespassing.
- Ruth is alleged to have ambushed and killed three police officers and injured two others on Wednesday.
- All victims were part of the Northern York County Regional Police Department.
- Ruth also broke into the home of a former girlfriend and killed her pet.
Authorities have identified the man who killed three police officers and injured two others in York County, Pennsylvania, on Wednesday afternoon.
The shooter was identified as 24-year-old Matthew James Ruth, who the officers had been on the lookout for in hopes of arresting him for alleged stalking, prowling and trespassing. Ruth was wanted for allegedly stalking a former girlfriend, and he had broken into her house before ambushing the officers, per NBC News.
“Matthew J. Ruth is the actor” who fatally shot the officers, York County DA Tim Barker said in a press conference on Thursday. He then vowed to never mention Ruth’s name again.
During the news conference, the slain officers were identified as Detective Sgt. Cody Becker, detective Mark Baker and detective Isaiah Emehhesier.
Barker called their deaths the result of “the hateful scourge of domestic violence.”
“That is what brought us here, that is what brought law enforcement here, that is what started all the activity,” Barker said.
The two injured officers were taken to the hospital on Wednesday in critical but stable condition. All the officers were a part of the Northern York County Regional Police Department.
What happened?
It started late Tuesday night when police were called after a man dressed in camouflage was seen looking through a home’s windows with binoculars, per NBC News. The home is in North Codorus Township, a York County community in southeastern Pennsylvania.
The man was spotted on trail cameras in the area and the home’s resident, Julia Zumbrum, identified him as Ruth, who she once dated.
Last month, Zumbrum’s truck was set on fire and she “suspected her ex-boyfriend was the culprit,” per NBC News.
In the images captured of Ruth by trail cameras, he “had an AR-15 style rifle slung across his chest,” according to the complaint that was filed.
The complaint added that Ruth and Zumbrum only dated for a short period of time and he had never been to her house.
When law enforcement returned to Zumbrum’s home on Wednesday, Ruth allegedlyhad broken in but the homeowners were not there. Ruth then ambushed the officers.
If Zumbrum and her mother had returned home before the police got there, officials said they would have been the ones killed.
Ruth also killed the family’s dog, a black Labrador retriever, per NBC News.
“We have two lives of the residents there that are saved today,” Barker said, in the conference. “Had they arrived home and not Northern Regional Police Department officers, they would have been killed immediately by the actor. Again, that is not speculation. That is the absolute only reasonable inference from all actions.”
What Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said about the shooting
Following the shooting on Wednesday, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro posted on X about the officers who were killed and injured in the ambush.
“These officers represent the very best of us. They put their lives on the line to serve their community, their Commonwealth, and their country,” Shapiro wrote.
The governor also shared that he visited with the families of the officers on Wednesday.
“The prayers of 13 million Pennsylvanians are with the victims, their families, and the good people of York County on this devastating day — and all those who put on the uniform to keep our Commonwealth safe,” his post continued.