YORK COUNTY, Pa. (WHTM) — The officer killed while responding to a shooting and hostage situation at a Pennsylvania hospital on Saturday had celebrated his 30th birthday just days earlier, authorities revealed Sunday.
Officer Andrew Duarte, of the West York Borough Police Department, was among those who responded when the armed suspect, 49-year-old Diogenes Archangel-Ortiz, entered UPMC Memorial Hospital in West Manchester Township late Saturday morning.
According to authorities, Archangel-Ortiz, armed with a semiautomatic handgun, entered the hospital’s intensive care unit, held staff hostage, and shot a doctor, nurse and custodian.
UPMC officers responded and were reportedly shot at, prompting calls for local authorities to arrive.
As officers from local departments arrived, York County District Attorney Timothy Barker said Archangel-Ortiz held a staff member — whose hands were tied with zip ties — at gunpoint.
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Law enforcement respond to the scene of a shooting at UPMC Memorial Hospital in York, Pa. on Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025. (Sean Simmers/The Patriot-News via AP) -
Law enforcement respond to the scene of a shooting at UPMC Memorial Hospital in York, Pa. on Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025. (Sean Simmers/The Patriot-News via AP) -
Law enforcement respond to the scene of a shooting at UPMC Memorial Hospital in York, Pa. on Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025. (Sean Simmers/The Patriot-News via AP) -
Law enforcement respond to the scene of a shooting at UPMC Memorial Hospital in York, Pa. on Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke) -
Law enforcement arrive at the scene of a shooting at UPMC Memorial Hospital in York, Pa. on Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Mark Scolforo) -
Flowers are placed in front of the West York Police Department after a police officer was killed responding to a shooting at UPMC Memorial Hospital in York, Pa. on Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke) -
Balloons are placed in front of UPMC Memorial Hospital after a deadly shooting in York, Pa. on Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
Officers opened fire and fatally struck Archangel-Ortiz.
Two officers were injured during the exchange, while Duarte was fatally shot, authorities said.
Duarte was pronounced dead at the scene. An autopsy is scheduled for Monday.
Officer Duarte had just celebrated his 30th birthday on Feb. 17, less than a week before Saturday’s shooting, according to the York County Coroner’s Office.
He had been a West York police officer since June 2022 after serving five years with the Denver Police Department in Colorado.
Denver Police Lieutenant Alan Ma was Officer Duarte’s supervisor when he worked in Denver, Nexstar’s KDVR reported.
“I have lost a friend and a dear colleague,” Ma said. “Andrew, when he served here, he was very young at the time, and an incredibly smart person and so dedicated to serving our community. One of the most successful impaired driving enforcers in the Denver Police Department.”
The two officers injured in the shooting, as well as the three UPMC staff members who had been shot, were all listed in stable condition. A fourth staff member was also injured in a fall during the incident. Their condition was not immediately available.
While the incident occurred in an area where patients were being treated, none were injured in the incident. As of Sunday morning, the hospital remains closed to visitors.
Barker said Archangel-Ortiz had previously been at the ICU with another individual and that the shooting was “targeted.”
Court records indicated Archangel-Ortiz had served short periods of incarceration and was cited by West York Borough Police earlier this month for driving with a revoked or suspended license.
“This is a huge loss to our community,” Barker said. “It is absolutely clear, and beyond any and all doubt, that the officers were justified in taking their action using deadly force.”
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