How shootout with Matthew James Ruth happened, according to police

(NewsNation) — At 2:08 p.m. on Wednesday, detectives walked up to a door at a home in York County, Pennsylvania. By 2:10, four detectives, one deputy and the suspect were shot.

The suspect and three detectives were killed. The other two officers were critically wounded.

What follows is the police account of what happened.

The night before

At about 11:20 p.m. Tuesday night, a woman called police. She said she saw a man outside with binoculars and wearing camouflage. Two officers arrived, finding a black pickup truck parked near the road but not anyone in it or on the property.

The officers went to the house to talk to the woman who called 911. She was there with her daughter, and they told police that the daughter’s pickup had previously been set on fire in the driveway. The women said they suspected it was the daughter’s ex-boyfriend, but they weren’t sure. They said that as far as they knew, the ex-boyfriend had never been to the home.

They showed the officers a picture of the man in camouflage taken from a trail camera. The photo showed the man with a scope device looking at the house. The daughter said it looked like her ex-boyfriend. The officers noticed he had an AR-15-style rifle in the photo.

Overnight, police continued looking for the man, calling in other departments and overhead drones. They didn’t find him.

He was identified as Matthew James Ruth.

Wednesday

The next morning, police got a search warrant for Ruth’s property. Detectives went to his home, but he wasn’t there. The officers did talk with Ruth’s family. That was just after noon.

At 2 p.m., five detectives and a county deputy went back to the woman’s house, again with a drone, to search for Ruth.

At 2:08 p.m., Detective Isaiah Emenheiser, Detective Mark Baker, Detective Sergeant Cody Becker and a fourth detective walked up to the front door. The fifth detective stayed on the perimeter, and the deputy operated the drone from a spot near his car.

The four detectives noticed the door was unlocked, but no one was supposed to be home, as the women had gone somewhere else for their safety.

The detectives opened the door.

Ruth started shooting.

Detective Baker was hit first. Detective Sergeant Becker, Detective Emenheiser and the fourth detective were shot as they tried to get to cover.

Ruth then started shooting at the fifth detective and the deputy, who by this point were firing back at Ruth; the detective with his rifle, the deputy with his 9 mm handgun.

Ruth was shooting what police describe as an AR-15-style rifle with a suppressor.

The deputy was hit, but continued firing his handgun as Ruth moved up toward the road. During the firefight, as Ruth got to the road, he was hit and killed.

It was 2:10 p.m., approximately two minutes since the first shot was fired.

After the shooting

The fifth detective went to the four who’d been shot by the house; he found Detectives Baker, Becker and Emenheiser nonresponsive. All three of them died.

He immediately began first aid on the fourth detective who’d been shot, then started first aid on the deputy, too, as he called for more reinforcements.

Both were hospitalized in critical condition.

As more officers arrived from multiple agencies, investigators went into the house. There, they found a dog had been shot once and killed in the basement, presumably by Ruth.

A department in mourning

All four detectives involved were from the Northern York County Regional Police Department.

The department issued this statement:

Yesterday was a dark and heartbreaking day for the Northern York County Regional Police Department and for all of York County. We are devastated by the loss of three of our officers and continue to pray for the recovery of a fourth who remains hospitalized.

We ask our community to keep these officers, their families, and their colleagues in your thoughts and prayers during this time of unimaginable grief.

At this time, our administrative offices are closed. Neighboring police departments, along with the Pennsylvania State Police, are assisting in providing police services to our municipalities to ensure the continued safety of our residents.

Information regarding an official and endorsed donation portal to support the families of our fallen and injured officers will be shared shortly. We encourage the public to await this guidance to ensure contributions go directly to those most in need.

We thank you for your compassion, patience, and support as we navigate this tragedy together.

For continuous updates on this story, visit NewsNation local affiliate WHTM.