Matthew James Ruth is the shooting suspect involved in the violence in Pennsylvania, on Wednesday that claimed the lives of three police officers, a cop confirmed to The Associated Press.
Police were seeking Ruth, 24, when the incident in rural York County unfurled. Now, troubling details have emerged about him. Here's all about Matthew James Ruth.
What to know about Matthew James Ruth
Matthew James Ruth was being sought on stalking charges, AP reported. He was also charged with trespassing, loitering and prowling at night in a domestic-related probe that began a day before, as per court documents.
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Ruth lives in Hanover, and his neighbor Rose Miller told AP that investigators had arrived in two waves. She said she remembered Ruth selling for fundraisers for Boy Scouts. She further told AP that investigators had removed items in bags from the house.
Reactions to the shooting
After the incident, Governor Josh Shapiro said “We need to do better as a society,” adding, “We need to help the people who think that picking up a gun, picking up a weapon is the answer to resolving disputes.”
{{/usCountry}}After the incident, Governor Josh Shapiro said “We need to do better as a society,” adding, “We need to help the people who think that picking up a gun, picking up a weapon is the answer to resolving disputes.”
{{/usCountry}}Attorney General Pam Bondi, meanwhile, called the violence against police ‘a scourge on our society.’ The incident has also left two officers in the hospital.
The shooting incident on Wednesday has been among the deadliest instances in the state for law enforcement officials. It matches the toll from the 2009 when three cops were ambushed by a domestic violence suspect who had a bulletproof vest on.
Stalking ex-girlfriend
Police officers revealed that Matthew James Ruth was stalking his ex-girlfriend just a day before the shooting. On Tuesday, officers were called to a home after a woman said that a man was on her property. He was dressed in camouflage and looking in with binoculars, the York Daily Record reported, citing an affidavit.
What happened on Wednesday
The confrontation took place on a rural road in south-central Pennsylvania, not far from Maryland. Dirk Anderson, a neighbor, said he heard “quite a few” shots from his home across the street. He was wondering what was happening when he saw a helicopter and the police arrive.
Some 30 police vehicles blocked off roads bordered by a barn, a goat farm and soybean and corn fields. North Codorus Township sits about 115 miles (185 km) west of Philadelphia.
(With AP inputs)