Three police officers were killed and two seriously wounded Wednesday when a gunman hiding in a cornfield ambushed them while they tried to serve a stalking warrant in York County, Pennsylvania.
The shooter, identified as 24-year-old Matthew James Ruth, opened fire from a cornfield near a farmhouse in North Codorus Township around 2 p.m. as officers arrived to serve a warrant. Police killed Ruth after he wounded two additional officers.
“It seemed like a war zone, sounded like a war zone,” said Dave Miller, a neighbor who witnessed the shooting told CNN. At least 30 shots were fired during the gunfight.
Officers with the Northern York County Regional Police Department and York County Sheriff’s Office were serving a warrant related to stalking charges against Ruth, who was the ex-boyfriend of a woman living at the farmhouse on Haar Road.
The woman had reported seeing Ruth stalking the residence Tuesday, prompting police to obtain an arrest warrant and restraining order. Officers tried to serve the warrant Tuesday night but could not locate Ruth.
Ruth was wearing camouflage and appeared to be lying in wait when officers returned Wednesday for a follow-up visit. He first shot three Northern York County Regional Police officers, killing all three. Ruth then moved toward the farmhouse where he exchanged gunfire with York County Sheriff’s deputies.
Two deputies were wounded, but one returned fire and killed Ruth. The wounded officers remain in critical but stable condition at Wellspan York Hospital.
“I just could not believe what I saw,” Miller said. “And then I looked at all the tall corn next to me and thought, ‘Well, if they didn’t get him, he’s on the run and he could come through the cornfield.'”
Miller said he saw one officer fall. “Then I saw a body on the road. I pretty much saw it hit, hit the ground.”
Pennsylvania State Police Commissioner Col. Christopher Paris said investigators have not determined whether Ruth was waiting for his ex-girlfriend or the officers.
“The grief will be unbearable, but we will bear it,” Paris said at a news conference Wednesday.
Gov. Josh Shapiro called it “an absolutely tragic and devastating day in York County and the entire commonwealth of Pennsylvania.”
“This kind of violence isn’t okay. We need to do better as a society,” Shapiro said. “We need to help the people who think that picking up a gun, picking up a weapon is the answer to resolving disputes.”
Ruth faced charges of stalking, loitering, and prowling at night and criminal trespass when the shooting occurred, according to court documents.
The shooting forced the Spring Grove School District to order students to shelter in place before lifting the order hours later. Roads near the scene were blocked as dozens of police and emergency vehicles responded.
Wellspan York Hospital went on lockdown with enhanced security protocols when the wounded officers arrived for treatment.
Wednesday’s shooting marked the second police fatality in York County in seven months. In February, Officer Andrew William Duarte of the West York Borough Police Department was killed while responding to a hostage situation at a hospital.
“For the second time in less than a year, York County is a community in mourning,” York County Commissioners said in a statement.
Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday, a former York County prosecutor, called the deaths “unfathomable.”
“Having served alongside these officers, I know of their caliber, their professionalism, and the lasting impact they had on our community,” Sunday said.
Attorney General Pam Bondi said the FBI and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives are supporting local officials.
“Violence against law enforcement is a scourge on our society and never acceptable. Pray for the officers involved,” Bondi said.
FBI statistics show assaults on law enforcement officers reached a 10-year high in 2024. So far this year, 37 law enforcement officers have been killed in the line of duty nationwide.
A 2017 Justice Department report found that domestic dispute calls made up 29 percent of incidents that resulted in officer deaths from 2010 to 2016, more than any other type of call.
Shapiro ordered U.S. and Pennsylvania flags lowered to half-staff across the state in honor of the fallen officers. He visited York County Wednesday to meet with the officers’ families.
“In being here today with our law enforcement family for the second time in 2025,” Paris said, “I’d just like to say on a very personal note our hearts and prayers go out to them, to the families of the deceased and the families of those officers who were wounded.”
Within hours of the shooting, mourners with American flags gathered for a late-night procession honoring the fallen officers as emergency vehicles passed under an arch formed by fire truck ladders.
People have begun leaving flowers at Northern York Regional Police Department headquarters. Police departments across the region offered condolences.
The Pennsylvania State Police and York County District Attorney’s Office are investigating the shooting. The investigation spans multiple locations throughout York County.
Authorities said there is no ongoing threat to public safety. An overview of the investigation is expected Thursday.