Gunman takes hostages at US hospital; police officer killed, 5 injured

A man carrying a handgun and zip ties took hostages inside a Pennsylvania hospital on Saturday, killing a responding police officer and wounding five others, officials said. He was killed in counter-fire from the police.

The gunman entered UPMC Memorial Hospital in York, Pennsylvania, on Saturday morning.

York County District Attorney Tim Barker said in a press conference that the attacker went directly to the intensive care unit, where he took staff members hostage. A nurse and a custodian were both shot and wounded, and a doctor was grazed.

Barker emphasised that the suspect and police exchanged gunfire after he walked into the hallway holding a female staff member at gunpoint with her hands bound.

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Andrew Duarte, a West York police officer, was killed by the gunman, officials said. Two other officers were wounded and are in stable condition, as are the injured nurse and custodian.

Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro visited the hospital after the shooting and praised Duarte and the other officers for preventing more casualties.

“Here in York County today, we saw the very best and the very worst of humanity,” Shapiro said.

The deceased suspect, 49-year-old Diogenes Archangel-Ortiz, had visited the ICU earlier in the week for a medical reason related to someone else. However, authorities did not provide details on the possible motive for Saturday’s incident.

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With inputs from Reuters