Alleged stalking suspect ambushed Pennsylvania police officers, killing 3

A local prosecutor claims a man shot at five Pennsylvania police officers with an assault-style rifle, killing three of them.

When Matthew Ruth, 24, opened fire while being tried to execute an arrest warrant, according to county District Attorney Tim Barker, who was contacted by the North York County Regional Police Department and York County Sheriff’s Office on Thursday.

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In North Codorus Township, which is located 185 kilometers (115 miles) west of Philadelphia, Ruth was killed in the subsequent gunfight with police that broke out at a farmhouse owned by his ex-girlfriend and her mother.

According to Barker, five police officers and a deputy sheriff allegedly sought to apprehend Ruth for allegedly stalking and trespassing on her ex-partner.

Unnamed former partner of Ruth’s told police he had allegedly allegedly set fire to her pickup truck in August. Then, on Tuesday, she called the police to say that he was wearing camouflage clothing and peering in through a window with binoculars while he was hiding out.

Police arrived at his home on Wednesday afternoon with an arrest warrant, but he was not there after a futile search for him on Tuesday night.

The ex-girlfriend and mother had fled for safety at the farmhouse when the officers discovered the unlocked door. According to Barker, Ruth immediately opened fire with his AR-15-type rifle as soon as officers entered the property.

According to Barker, the shootout involved four police detectives and one sheriff’s deputy.

Three of the detectives suffered fatal injuries. Officers were seen being taken to a hospital by a medical helicopter after the incident in photos taken from the scene.

In the quiet farmland of southeast Pennsylvania, three police officers were killed in an ambush, making it one of the deadliest days for law enforcement in recent memory.