A Pennsylvania gunman held a nurse at gunpoint and bound her hands with zip ties in a horror hostage situation that led to the death of a young cop.
Diogenes Archangel-Ortiz, 49, allegedly entered UPMC Memorial Hospital on Saturday morning at around 10:45am, and sparked terror inside the building as he brandished a semi-automatic weapon.
York County District Attorney Tim Barker said Ortiz shot six people in an hours-long spree inside the hospital, including fatally shooting West York Borough Officer Andrew Duarte, 30.
A nurse, a custodian and a doctor as well as one other police officer were also allegedly shot by the gunman, before Ortiz was killed by authorities.
When he began the spree, Ortiz immediately proceeded to the Intensive Care Unit when he targeted the hospital, however the motive remains unclear, Barker said.
UPMC announced late Saturday that no patients were harmed in the shooting, and the five wounded victims were in stable condition.
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro described the attack as ‘the act of a coward’ and led tributes to Duarte after the young cop lost his life in the horror shooting.
Mourners gather in York, Pennsylvania after a gunman, named as Diogenes Archangel-Ortiz, 49, (not pictured) shot six people in a horror spree at UPMC Memorial Hospital on Saturday morning
West York Borough Officer Andrew Duarte, 30, was tragically killed in the shooting, where the gunman held several hospital staff hostage before he was killed by authorities
Officials said that when Ortiz opened fire in the hospital, he ‘grazed’ one doctor, and struck a nurse and custodian before he was shot dead by responding police officers.
Tributes poured in for Duarte after he was named as the deceased police officer in Saturday’s shooting.
At a vigil held outside the West York Borough Police Department hours after his passing, Duarte’s girlfriend Zanna Morris said she was ‘devastated.’
‘I’m shattered,’ she said. ‘He was the love of my life… I’m proud, but I’m also angry that it had to be him.’
Duarte was among the first on the scene when he responded to the shooting at the hospital, and Morris said she ‘was told he saved lives today.’
‘Because of his actions, many lives were saved,’ she said.
Duarte, who served five years with the Denver Police Department in Colorado before joining the West York Police Department in 2022, was identified in a Facebook post from the West York Borough page, saying the ‘community grieves the loss of a hero.’
‘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,’ the post read.
Officers responded to UPMC Memorial Hospital at 10:45am on Saturday after the gunman reportedly walked immediately to the intensive care unit and held staff hostage
At a vigil for Duarte on Saturday night, the hero cop’s girlfriend Zanna Morris said she ‘was told he saved lives today’
Duarte, 30, served five years with the Denver Police Department in Colorado before joining the West York Police Department in 2022
Shapiro said Saturday evening that he had met with Duarte’s parents and said it was tragic to see his life ‘cut far too short.’
‘In the midst of senseless violence, law enforcement, first responders, and medical professionals showed true heroism,’ Shapiro said in a statement, praising the officers’ ‘willingness to run toward danger.’
‘Tragically, we lost one of those heroes today.
‘This evening, I had the privilege of spending time with Officer Duarte’s parents and fellow officers to express our deep gratitude for Andrew and his service.
‘I also visited with two officers who were injured in the line of duty while answering the call to protect their fellow Pennsylvanians.’
According to records obtained by Local21News, Ortiz had previous charges in York County.
The outlet found that the alleged gunman was recently charged with driving with a suspended license on February 13, 2025, alongside other charges dating back years.
These included charges of harassment and ‘contempt for violation of order or agreement’ from October 2016.
