A small Pennsylvania community is reeling after three decorated detectives were gunned down in an ambush. They were serving a warrant in a stalking case tied to a woman’s armed ex-boyfriend.
On Wednesday afternoon, members of the Northern York County Regional Police Department entered a home in North Codorus Township to continue their search for Matthew Ruth, 42, who had been stalking his ex-girlfriend with an AR-15 rifle.
What the officers didn’t know was that Ruth had already entered the woman’s home after she and her mother fled for safety. Inside, he killed the family’s black Labrador and waited for police to arrive.
The moment detectives opened the unlocked door, Ruth unleashed a hail of bullets from an AR-15-style rifle fitted with a suppressor. The ambush lasted about two minutes.
Detective Sergeant Cody Becker, and Detectives Mark Baker and Isaiah Emenheiser were fatally struck. Two other officers, another Northern York detective and a York County sheriff’s deputy, were critically wounded before Ruth was killed in a final exchange of gunfire near the roadway.
York County District Attorney Tim Barker called the ambush a “barrage of murderous activity,” and credited the slain detectives with saving the lives of Ruth’s ex-girlfriend and her mother. “Had they come home instead of officers, they would have been killed immediately,” Barker said.
Honoring the Fallen
The three fallen detectives leave behind legacies of courage and service:
- Detective Mark Baker, a father of four, was remembered as a devoted family man and protector.
- Detective Sgt. Cody Becker, a former Spring Grove football standout, once saved a baby and two children during a 2010 fire.
- Detective Isaiah Emenheiser, named Officer of the Year in 2011, survived a shooting incident in 2018 and earned multiple DUI Top Gun awards for his record number of arrests.
Northern York Police Chief David Lash said the men represented “the very best of policing,” adding: “They served with professionalism, dedication and courage. They were leaders within our agency, committed to protecting this community.”
A Community in Mourning
Flags across York County are flying at half-staff as the community grapples with what officials called one of the darkest days in local law enforcement history.
In a statement, the Northern York County Regional Police Department said: “We are devastated by the loss of three of our officers and continue to pray for the recovery of a fourth who remains hospitalized.”
A fundraising campaign has been launched to support the families of the fallen detectives, whose sacrifice turned a potential domestic tragedy into an act of heroism.
For the families of Becker, Baker, and Emenheiser, the grief is immeasurable. For the community, their bravery in the face of a deadly ambush will not be forgotten.
