Three law enforcement officers were killed and two others were wounded in a shooting in Pennsylvania on Wednesday afternoon, and the shooter is also dead, the state police commissioner said.
Police were apparently serving a warrant in York County when they were fired upon, three sources familiar with the matter told NBC News.
“There are simply no words I can offer to assuage the grief that this community has experienced,” Pennsylvania State Police Commissioner Col. Christopher Paris said.
The two surviving officers were in critical but stable condition at a hospital, he said.
The shooter is dead, Paris said.
Dave Miller told NBC affiliate WGAL of Lancaster that he was driving home and pulled over to clear the way for police and heard the gunfire.
“I looked over to the right, of course, and I saw the police in the barn, looked like they were looking for someone,” he told the station. “And then I heard the gunshots ring, and I saw people on the ground.”
Miller said the person on the ground appeared to be a police officer. He said he heard around 30 shots.
“It was just continuous,” he said. “Lots of shots, more than what I could count.”
The first 911 call came in from North Codorus Township at 2:10 p.m., said Ted Czech of the York County Office of Emergency Management. Pennsylvania State Police are investigating, Czech said.
State police did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
A heavy police presence was on the scene, and a medical helicopter was seen leaving the area when WGAL crews arrived.
A spokesperson for WellSpan York Hospital said it was treating two people in relation to the shooting, both of whom are in serious condition.
“Enhanced security protocols” were in place at the hospital, the spokesperson said.
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro urged people in the area to follow directions from law enforcement.
Lt. Gov. Austin Davis and Attorney General Dave Sunday also asked residents on X to stay away from the area. They offered prayers to everyone involved.
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a statement that the FBI and federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives was assisting, and she said, “Violence against law enforcement is a scourge on our society and never acceptable.”
The shooting prompted a shelter-in-place order for the Spring Grove Area School District, which was lifted just before 5 p.m.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
Phil Helsel and Chloe Atkins contributed.
