Police officer mourned after Pennsylvania hospital shooting: ‘The best of us’

Andrew Duarte served as a police officer for nearly eight years, and he described himself in his social media profiles as a “driven person” who embraces new challenges.

Andrew Duarte, a West York police officer, was killed in the mass shooting at UPMC Memorial Hospital just outside York, Pennsylvania.

This weekend, many, including Pennsylvania's governor and law enforcement officials, described him as a hero.

Duarte, a member of the West York Borough Police Department, was fatally shot in the horrific incident at UPMC Memorial just outside York, Pennsylvania Saturday. A gunman shot and wounded five other people in the tragedy at the hospital, injuring three UPMC staffers and two police officers. Police eventually shot and killed the gunman, after Duarte was mortally wounded.

“Officer Duarte was the best of us,” Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said at a news briefing Saturday. “He was someone who put on the uniform of service and went out to try and keep his neighbors safe. He is to be commended for a life of service, albeit cut way too short, but a life of service to others. We're deeply grateful to him.”

• Read more: UPMC CEO on hospital shooting: 'Our hearts are heavy'

Duarte served with the West York police department for two years. He previously worked as a police officer in Denver, Colorado for five years, including as a patrol officer and DUI enforcement officer. In Denver, he was honored by Mothers Against Drunk Driving as a “MADD hero.”

Shapiro said that he met with Duarte’s parents, and the two other local police officers who were injured in the shooting.

“Their willingness to run toward danger helped save the lives of others. I’m grateful to them and all law enforcement who answered the call today in York,” Shapiro wrote on Facebook.

York County District Attorney Tim Barker described Duarte’s death as “a huge loss.”

“We must come together, and we must achieve peace. And please pray for everyone, and especially pray for the family and loved ones of Officer Andrew Duarte,” Barker said at a news conference. “May he rest in peace. Job well done. Life well served.”

Police and fire crews escorted Duarte’s body in a procession Saturday night, the York Daily Record reported.

Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday said that Duarte had answered a “mutual aid call” in response to the incident in the hospital.

“Today, I join all Pennsylvanians and the county of York in mourning the loss of community hero and dedicated public servant Officer Andrew Duarte,” Sunday said in a statement. “We are also praying for the quick recovery of those who sustained injuries in the incident. Such violence and trauma in a place dedicated to hope and healing is unimaginable.”

UPMC expressed thanks to the police who responded and hailed Duarte for his courage.

"We offer our heartfelt gratitude to the courageous police officers and EMS providers who responded to the incident, and our deepest sympathies to the family and colleagues of the officer who sacrificed his life to save others. We will be forever grateful for his bravery," UPMC said in a statement.

West York Borough posted a message on Facebook paying tribute to Duarte.

“Our prayers and deepest condolences go out to West York Borough Police Officer, Andrew Duarte's family and all of our brothers and sisters in the West York Borough Police Department that have lost a comrade and friend, and furthermore our fellow Borough agencies that have lost a colleague. Our community grieves the loss of a hero,” the borough said.

Residents were invited to lay flowers outside of the municipal building in honor of Duarte.

Barker said the shooter, identified as Diogenes Archangel-Ortiz, 49, entered the hospital with a bag carrying a gun and zip ties. The shooter “went straight to the ICU, and in the ICU, this individual went and held hostage members of the UPMC staff,” Barker said.

The shooter had been holding a UPMC staffer at gunpoint and police tried to talk with him. Police “were left with no recourse and did open fire,” Barker said.

“It is absolutely clear and beyond any and all doubt that the officers were justified in taking their action and using deadly force,” Barker said. “Quite frankly, they needed to use deadly force because by doing so, they potentially saved even more lives, even as they lost one of their own.”

Archangel-Ortiz had interacted with the UPMC’s ICU staff earlier in the week regarding the care of another person, Barker said.

The governor praised the response of police and UPMC staff in the shooting.

"Let it not be lost on anyone, the act of extraordinary bravery and courage by the healthcare workers here, by the law enforcement professionals, the state and local and here at the hospital level, who ran toward danger to keep people safe. I know that because of their work, lives were saved here at UPMC Memorial. I know that because they answered the call and ran toward danger, lives were saved,” Shapiro said.