Three police officers in Pennsylvania were killed and two others critically injured when a crazed gunman opened fire while they were executing a warrant Wednesday afternoon, according to police and sources.
The cops were blasted by gunfire around 2:10 p.m. at a home on the 1800 block of Haar Road in North Codorus Township, about 35 miles south of Harrisburg, according to state police and a York County spokesperson.
The two officers who were shot were rushed to Wellspan York Hospital and are currently in critical but stable condition, Pennsylvania State Police Commissioner Col. Christopher Paris said at a press conference Wednesday night.
“There are simply no words that I can offer to assuage the grief that this community has experienced and, unfortunately, will continue to occur,” Paris said.
“The grief will be unbearable, but we will bear it.”
A crazed gunman opened fire on police officers Wednesday in York County, killing three and critically injuring two more officers. Harrison Jones/ York Daily Record / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Officials have not released the names of the officers who were killed.
The suspect who fired at the officers following up on an investigation that began Tuesday was shot dead by police at the scene, Paris said.
“At this point, we believe the community is safe but we’re leaving no stone unturned, and we’re going to run every lead down,” Paris said.
The suspect who shot the officers, who were following up on an investigation that began Tuesday, was shot dead by police at the scene, Paris said.
Law enforcement sources told The Post that the incident appeared to be domestic in nature.
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro and State Police Commissioner Colonel Christopher Paris hold a press conference on the shooting Wednesday. Reuters
Gov. Josh Shapiro said US Attorney General Pam Bondi reached out to him personally and shared that the state has the “full support of the government.”
“It meant a lot to me that she reached out to offer her support and her prayers for the good people of Pennsylvania,” the Democrat said at the press conference, later ordering flags statewide to be flown at half-staff.
“This kind of violence isn’t OK. We need to do better as a society. We need to help the people who think picking up a gun, picking up a weapon is the answer to resolving disputes… So we don’t need to deal with tragedies like this.”
First responders at the scene of the shooting on Wednesday. Harrison Jones / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
The FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were on the scene supporting local law enforcement, Bondi said on X.
“Violence against law enforcement is a scourge on our society and never acceptable. Pray for the officers involved.”
‘Bad day for law enforcement’
While police plan to release additional information about Wednesday’s incident at a later time, the shooting sent local schools and hospitals into a brief lockdown as a swarm of first responders and cops responded to the shooting.
The Spring Grove School District’s six schools were ordered to remain in shelter-in-place, with the lockdown ending at 4:10 p.m., according to the district’s website.
“We’ve been given the ‘all clear’ from law enforcement, and the shelter in place has ended,” school officials said in a pop-up message on the website.
NBC News reports the suspect later died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Harrison Jones/ York Daily Record / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
“We want to remind everyone that today’s incident did not involve our schools or students. Our actions were taken strictly out of an abundance of caution, with the safety of students and staff as our top priority.”
The York hospital treating the two wounded cops was also on lockdown but has since been operating on “enhanced security protocols,” a Wellspan told CBS21.
Local lawmakers and police departments turned to social media to share their grief.
Emergency personnel respond to a shooting in North Codorus, Pennsylvania. AP
“It’s another really bad day for York County law enforcement,” the Fairview Township Police Department posted on Facebook, with a photo of the Thin Blue Line flag.
“Please keep our brothers and sisters near Spring Grove in your thoughts and prayers.”
Neither Paris nor Shapiro disclosed which department the officers belonged to.
US Sen. John Fetterman also expressed his condolences to the victims’ families.
A Pennsylvania state police trooper patrols a road after multiple police officers were shot and killed. AP
Police block off the area where multiple officers were shot and killed in North Codorus, Pennsylvania. AP
“This shooting in York County is absolutely tragic – and it’s a reminder that we can’t ever, ever forget how dangerous the job of law enforcement is,” the Democrat, who represents the Keystone State, wrote on X.
“They put their lives on the line for us every single day and we owe them a debt of gratitude. My family grieves for the families of the officers who died in today’s shooting and keeping in our thoughts the others that are recovering.”
Wednesday’s shooting also marks the second time a police officer was gunned down in the area in less than a year.
West York Borough Police Officer Andrew Duarte, 30, was killed in February after he responded to a hostage situation at UPMC Memorial Hospital in York.
“For the second time in less than a year, York County is a community in mourning,” the Commissioners of York County said in a statement, FOX 43 reported.
“As a community, we share the immense and immeasurable pain of mourning the loss of three of our brave members of law enforcement. We ask for patience as the Pennsylvania State Police and York County District Attorney’s Office work together to complete their investigation.
“And we ask all York Countians to, once again, lift each other up and support each other as we grieve together as one united community. We remain York County strong.”
A vigil will be held Thursday at 7 p.m. at Alliance Church, the Spring Grove Area Historical Preservation Society announced on Facebook.