West Manchester Township, Pennsylvania &ndash; February 17, 2025
A tragic shooting unfolded at&nbsp;UPMC Memorial Hospital in West Manchester Township, York County, Pennsylvania, on Saturday morning, leaving a police officer dead, several others injured, and the suspect fatally shot by law enforcement. The incident, which began as an armed hostage situation inside the hospital's ICU, sent shockwaves through the community.
<video controls="controls" width="300" height="150">
<source src="https://ibp-benefits.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/prod/news/uploads/videos/1740280549324_police_force_in_action_Pennsylvania.mp4" type="video/mp4"></video>
Timeline of the Incident
10:35 AM &ndash; Gunman Enters the Hospital At approximately 10:35 AM local time,&nbsp;Diogenes Archangel-Ortiz, 38, entered&nbsp;UPMC Memorial Hospital&nbsp;armed with a&nbsp;semiautomatic handgun&nbsp;and carrying a bag containing zip ties. He proceeded directly to the&nbsp;Intensive Care Unit (ICU), where he took multiple staff members hostage.
10:44 AM &ndash; Shots Fired, Hostages Taken At&nbsp;10:44 AM, Archangel-Ortiz opened fire inside the ICU, reportedly upset over a family member&rsquo;s hospice death. He shot&nbsp;a doctor, a nurse, and a custodian, critically wounding them. As chaos erupted, security officers at UPMC attempted to intervene but were fired upon.&nbsp;York County 911 dispatched emergency responders, declaring an &ldquo;active threat&rdquo; situation.
10:50 AM &ndash; Police Arrive and Engage the Suspect Multiple law enforcement agencies, including officers from&nbsp;West York Borough, Northern York, and Springettsbury Township Police Departments, responded swiftly. Upon arrival, officers encountered&nbsp;Archangel-Ortiz holding a staff member at gunpoint, their hands tied with zip ties. Officers attempted negotiations, but the gunman refused to surrender.
10:55 AM &ndash; Shootout and Suspect Neutralized A confrontation ensued as&nbsp;officers entered the ICU. The suspect&nbsp;opened fire, striking three officers. In the exchange of gunfire,&nbsp;West York Borough Police Officer Andrew Duarte was fatally shot. Officers from Northern York and Springettsbury Township Police also sustained injuries but were stabilized later.&nbsp;Archangel-Ortiz was shot and killed on the scene.
Aftermath and Investigation
11:00 AM &ndash; Hospital on Lockdown, Emergency Response Initiated Following the incident,&nbsp;UPMC Memorial Hospital was placed on lockdown. WellSpan York Hospital confirmed receiving five patients for treatment, including injured hospital staff and officers. The hospital issued a statement confirming,&nbsp;&ldquo;We&rsquo;re fully cooperating with law enforcement. The safety of our patients and staff remains our top priority.&rdquo;
Injured Victims Identified: 🔹&nbsp;Emily Carter (32)&nbsp;&ndash; Nurse, in critical condition 🔹&nbsp;Michael Torres (45)&nbsp;&ndash; Security guard, sustained moderate injuries 🔹&nbsp;Laura Simmons (63)&nbsp;&ndash; Patient, stable condition 🔹&nbsp;Two York County officers&nbsp;&ndash; Injured in the shootout, stable condition 🔹&nbsp;A fourth hospital staff member&nbsp;&ndash; Injured after falling during the chaos
Authorities Confirm Shooting Was Targeted
York County District Attorney&nbsp;Timothy Barker&nbsp;revealed that Archangel-Ortiz had previously visited the ICU with another individual. Officials believe the shooting was&nbsp;targeted&nbsp;and are investigating the gunman&rsquo;s motive and past connections to the hospital.
Community Response and Tributes
West York Borough Police confirmed&nbsp;Officer Andrew Duarte&rsquo;s&nbsp;death on their social media, stating,&nbsp;&ldquo;Officer Duarte was responding to a mutual aid call when he made the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty.&rdquo;
Duarte, a&nbsp;law enforcement veteran, previously served with the&nbsp;Denver Police Department from 2017 to 2022&nbsp;before joining West York Borough in June 2022. He had been recognized for his exceptional service, receiving&nbsp;the MADD Hero Law Enforcement Champion award in 2021.
Governor and Officials React
Pennsylvania Governor&nbsp;Josh Shapiro&nbsp;rushed to the scene after being briefed. In a statement, he assured residents that&nbsp;&ldquo;the hospital is secure&rdquo;&nbsp;and expressed condolences for Officer Duarte&rsquo;s family and all those affected.
Ongoing Investigation
Law enforcement remains on-site, securing the hospital and gathering forensic evidence. Authorities urge&nbsp;anyone with additional information&nbsp;to come forward as they piece together the full scope of the tragic event.
The shooting at&nbsp;UPMC Memorial Hospital&nbsp;has left the&nbsp;York County community shaken, with many questioning&nbsp;hospital security measures&nbsp;and the need for&nbsp;enhanced protocols to prevent future attacks. More details are expected to emerge as the investigation continues.
&nbsp;

UPMC Memorial Hospital, police at the shoot out cite and West York Borough Police Officer Andrew Duarte

Investigators seek motive behind deadly UPMC hospital shootout that left officer, gunman dead

Hospital Shooting: Officer Killed, Motive Probed

Investigators seek motive behind deadly UPMC hospital shootout that left officer, gunman dead

February 23, 2025 | 08:48 IST