Police officer, gunman killed in Pennsylvania hospital shooting
Deadly incident at UPMC Memorial highlights rising violence in healthcare settings
Daily TribuneDeadly incident at UPMC Memorial highlights rising violence in healthcare settings
A police officer and a gunman were killed Saturday after a shooting at UPMC Memorial Hospital in York, Pennsylvania, officials confirmed.
The officer, identified as Andrew Duarte of the West York Borough Police Department, had responded to a mutual aid call when he was fatally shot inside the hospital.
“We all have broken hearts and are grieving his loss,” said West York Borough Manager Shawn Mauck in a statement.
Duarte was a six-year law enforcement veteran, having joined the West York Borough Police Department in 2022 after serving five years with the Denver Police Department in Colorado.
Officials at UPMC Memorial confirmed that the gunman was also killed but reassured the public that no patients or hospital staff were harmed during the incident.
Law enforcement remains on-site, managing the situation, according to Susan Manko, vice president of public relations for UPMC.
This incident is part of a worrying trend of violence in healthcare settings. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), hospitals have become one of the most dangerous workplaces, with healthcare workers suffering more nonfatal injuries from workplace violence than any other profession.
In recent years, hospitals across the United States have seen a surge in deadly attacks, including:
2023: A gunman killed a security guard in the lobby of New Hampshire’s state psychiatric hospital before being shot by a state trooper.
2022: A man opened fire in a Dallas hospital, killing two workers while there to watch his child’s birth.
2022: A gunman in Atlanta shot and killed a woman inside a medical center waiting room, wounding four others.
2022: A man killed his surgeon and three others at a Tulsa, Oklahoma, medical office, blaming the doctor for his post-surgery pain.
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro confirmed that the hospital is secure following the shooting and said he was traveling to York after being briefed on the situation.
Meanwhile, the West York Borough Police Department and law enforcement agencies across the state are mourning the loss of Officer Duarte, who gave his life in service to his community.
In response to the shooting, UPMC Memorial Hospital advised employees not scheduled to work on Saturday to stay home. Families of patients arriving at the hospital were redirected to the OSS building parking lot across the street.
Authorities continue to investigate the incident while hospital staff, law enforcement, and the local community grapple with yet another tragic act of violence in a medical facility.