UPDATE: Officials revealed a detailed timeline of the shootout. Latest details here.
The man accused of killing three officers in a shooting that happened in North Codorus Township in York County, Pennsylvania, on Wednesday was being sought by police after allegedly peeping into an ex-girlfriend’s home while armed with a rifle, a source confirmed with NBC10.
Court documents say he was facing charges of stalking, criminal trespass and related offenses due to the incident.
According to court documents, a woman reported to police that her ex-boyfriend, Matthew Ruth, 24, of Hanover, had been seen peeping into her property along the 1800 block of Haar Road within North Codarus Township with a pair of binoculars on Tuesday, Sept. 16, just one day before the deadly shooting occurred.
Northern York Regional Police Department’s daily police logs, which are posted on the department’s website, show the department responded to a call for stalking on Haar Road around 11:30 p.m. Tuesday.
As detailed in the document, police sought an arrest warrant for Ruth after he allegedly was captured on a trail camera at his ex-girlfriend’s home, wearing camouflage and standing in the driveway of the property peeping at the residence through binoculars at about 11:11 p.m. on Tuesday.
An officer who arrived at the scene, the document notes, found a black Ford Ranger parked in the area, but did not locate Ruth.
Also, in a review of footage from that trail camera, court documents note, the man could be seen wearing an AR-15-style rifle slung across his shoulder as he peered at the residence.
Further details in the documents note that the ex-girlfriend had reported issues with Ruth before and she believed Ruth had visited her property in August to allegedly attempt to destroy her vehicle.
Court documents claim that on Sept. 11, the same woman told police that someone had set her pickup truck on fire on Aug. 20. The police department’s daily log also shows police responded on that date to that address in the afternoon for suspicious activity.
In that incident, court documents said, fire officials have determined someone intentionally set the ex-girlfriend’s pickup truck on fire while it was in the driveway of her home.
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline by calling 1-800-799-SAFE (7233), visiting www.thehotline.org or texting LOVEIS to 22522.
The woman told police, according to court documents, that she suspected Ruth but “requested the matter not be investigated.”
The woman’s family set up a trail camera outside the house following that incident, court documents note.
According to court documents, the woman claimed she and Ruth “only dated for a short period of time and that Ruth had never been to her house, nor had he ever been invited there.”
She allegedly told police Ruth owned the black Ford Ranger pickup truck that police discovered near her home after the reported peeping incident on Tuesday, Sept. 16.
3 police officers killed in York County shooting
On Wednesday, Sept. 17, shortly after 2 p.m., a shootout occurred as officers arrived to serve an arrest warrant for Ruth in the area of Haar and Emig roads in York County’s North Codorus Township. As they arrived, a gunman — now identified as Ruth — began firing at them, investigators said.
At 2:26 p.m. Wednesday, emergency response officials said over police radio: “We have one suspect Class 4. Two officers Class 4. Correction, three officers Class 4. One officer class 1. We are good on EMS at this time.”
Class 4 means deceased, per the county spokesperson.
Three officers were killed and two others were wounded in the shooting. Officials said Ruth was shot and killed by police during this confrontation, as well. Officials identified the slain officers as Northern York County Regional detectives Mark Baker, Cody Becker and Isaiah Emenheiser
UPDATE: Officials revealed a detailed timeline of the shootout. Latest details here.
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