- Andrew Duarte, an officer with the West York Borough Police Department (WYBPD), was killed in the shooting at UPMC Memorial Hospital in Pennsylvania on Feb. 22
- York County District Attorney Tim Barker shared new details about his death in a press conference on April 30
- The gunman, Diogenes Archangel-Ortiz, was fatally shot 15 to 20 times
New details have been revealed about the death of Andrew Duarte, the officer who was killed at UPMC Memorial Hospital in Pennsylvania after a gunman opened fire and held staff hostage in February.
The borough of West York previously announced on Facebook that Andrew Duarte, an officer with the West York Borough Police Department (WYBPD), was killed in the shooting.
Police officers, one from Springettsbury Township and the other from Northern York County Regional Police Department, were injured during the Feb. 22 incident, as well as a deputy sheriff from the sherrif’s department, York County District Attorney Tim Barker said during a press conference on Wednesday, April 30. Three hospital staff members were wounded.
During the press conference, Barker said Duarte was killed in the line of duty by gunfire intended for the gunman Diogenes Archangel-Ortiz.
Barker said that hospital staff and police were unaware that Archangel-Ortiz’s stolen 9mm Taurus pistol was already out of ammunition after he pointed his firearm at a worker at approximately 11:11 a.m.
While it was unknown at the time if Archangel-Ortiz had any additional rounds, police say he then grabbed another worker at gunpoint at approximately 11:13 a.m., and “exited the main door of the ICU.”
“The officers that were in their tactical positions, immediately created a reactionary gap and backed up in order to take full recognition, and to make full determinations of the hostage situation that was in front of them,” he said.
That is when officers from both sides of the doorway began to open fire.
After officers began shooting from the left side, those on the right side proceeded to shoot, and one of those bullets fired from an “officer who was positioned closest to the wall on the right side” struck Archangel-Ortiz on the “back upper shoulder area on the left side.”
The hostage was not struck, although some of the bullets also hit the wall. One projectile, however, did hit an officer who was holding a shield in “his right hand and traveled into his arm.”
“At that pointer Officer Andrew Duarte is diagonal and slightly behind to the officer with the shield. He is turned slightly to the left,” said Barker.
“Two shots strike Officer Duarte. One shot strikes him in the left arm and goes across his chest. The other strikes him at the left side chest area, at the mesh area where his tactical protective vest would not have coverage, and strikes him at the mesh and goes across his chest,” he said.
A third officer on the left side was also then struck in the leg by another shot.
Barker said that Archangel-Ortiz was fatally shot 15 to 20 times, but that it was difficult to be precise given the nature of the injuries. His death was ruled a homicide as a result of multiple gunshot wounds, per WGAL.
He also said that after Duarte declared that he was struck, he attempted to help the officer who was struck from the leg down.
“That officer at this point is now being pulled by another officer,” said Barker. “Officer Duarte leans over to the officer who is down and now is starting to be moved. Officer Duarte then, after leaning down towards that officer, succumbs to his injuries and collapses to the ground.”
Archangel-Ortiz’s firearm was found and collected by another officer who discovered it was “unloaded at that time.”
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“Again, as I stated previously, this fact was unknown to any officer and was unknown to the health care workers who were inside the ICU,” said Barker.
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