Man accused of stalking ex-girlfriend fired upon Pennsylvania law enforcement officers in ‘murderous rampage’: DA

A man accused of stalking his ex-girlfriend fired upon multiple law enforcement officers who went to the woman’s home in southern Pennsylvania on Wednesday, killing three and wounding two others in what officials called a “murderous rampage.”

Four detectives with the Northern York County Regional Police Department and a deputy sheriff from the York County Sheriff’s Department were shot in the incident, according to York County District Attorney Timothy Barker. Three of the police detectives died, he said.

The law enforcement officers had gone to the home in rural North Codorus Township on Wednesday afternoon amid a domestic violence investigation, Barker said. An arrest warrant had been issued for the shooter, identified as Matthew Ruth of Hanover, after his ex-girlfriend reported he had been peering into the home the night before while armed with a rifle, the district attorney said.

The ex-girlfriend and her mother “went somewhere else for their safety” and were not at the home at the time of the shooting, Barker said during a press briefing on Thursday.

While searching for Ruth on the property, the responding officers noticed the front door was unlocked, according to Barker. When they opened the door, they were “immediately” met with multiple rounds of gunfire from an AR-15-style rifle with a suppressor, Barker said.

Four of the detectives were struck and went down, while a fifth detective and the deputy sheriff returned gunfire, Barker said.

The deputy sheriff was struck by the suspect during the barrage, while the other detective shot and killed Ruth and went to render aid and called for help, the district attorney said.

Three detectives were killed and a fourth critically wounded in the “brutal ambush,” which lasted approximately two minutes, Barker said.

A Labrador belonging to Ruth’s ex-girlfriend was also found dead in the basement of the home, killed by Ruth, Barker said.

“We are currently investigating further aspects of motive,” Barker said during a press briefing on Thursday. “There is one motive, though, that is clear for everything, and that is 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 commended the actions of the detective who shot Ruth, and then went to render aid to the fallen officers. 

“He saved many lives that day,” Barker said. “If the actor was not eliminated and his threat and murderous rampage eliminated, who knows where this would have stopped.”

Pennsylvania State Police are leading the investigation, which spans multiple locations throughout York County, police said.

Northern York County police had conducted a search of Ruth’s residence earlier Wednesday, before going to the home in North Codorus Township to look for him, Barker said. Additional search warrants will be executed as part of the investigation, he said.

Northern York County Regional Police Department Chief of Police Dave Lash said Wednesday was a “dark day” for the department and York County.

“We are mourning the loss of three of our officers, and we continue to pray for the recovery of our fourth, and also for the recovery of the York County sheriff’s deputy,” he said during Thursday’s press briefing.

The department said its administrative offices are closed and nearby police departments and state police are helping provide police services in the meantime.

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said he met with the families of wounded officers on Wednesday.

“They’ve got a long road ahead of them, and I just found it so striking that while they were there in the hospital, worried about the well-being of their family members, they were also just so proud of how their family members put that uniform on yesterday and ran out toward danger to keep others safe,” Shapiro said during remarks at an unrelated press event on Thursday.

“Those who serve and protect our Commonwealth, they’re the best of us,” he continued. “We respect the work they do in times of tragedy like yesterday and in times of triumph every day, when they go out and do things necessary to keep us safe.”

Ruth was facing charges of stalking, loitering and criminal trespass, according to a criminal complaint.

Officers with the Northern York County Regional Police Department responded to the home late Tuesday, after one of the residents reported a man “on her property with binoculars looking into the residence through a window,” according to a probable cause affidavit in the criminal complaint. 

The man was captured on a trail camera wearing camouflage with an AR-15-style rifle slung across his chest, according to the affidavit.

The woman’s daughter identified the man to police as her ex-boyfriend, Ruth, according to the affidavit. She previously told police she believed Ruth had also set her truck on fire on Aug. 20 while it sat in her driveway, but she wasn’t sure so didn’t want the incident investigated, according to the affidavit. The women installed the trail camera after that incident, according to the complaint.

Officers attempted to locate Ruth on Tuesday night but were unable to, according to the affidavit. His truck was located by police unoccupied around the corner from the house, according to the affidavit.

Ruth’s ex-girlfriend told police “they only dated for a short period of time and that Ruth had never been to her house, nor had he ever been invited there,” the affidavit stated.

Barker said officials did not find any prior criminal convictions that would have made Ruth unable to possess a firearm.