Motive still unclear in US hospital attack that left one police officer dead

Investigators are trying to determine why an armed man targeted a hospital in the US state of Pennsylvania, killing one officer and injuring several medical staffers.

Bearing a pistol, the armed man entered the UPMC Memorial Hospital intensive care unit (ICU) on Saturday and took staff hostage prior to his death, with officials still unsure of the reason for the violent attack.

The man, 49, was then killed by police in a shootout as he threatened hostages.

Authorities released no new information on Sunday but did confirm the man — identified as 49-year-old Diogenes Archangel-Ortiz — appeared to have had recent contact with the intensive care unit “for a medical purpose involving another person”.

York County district attorney Tim Barker did not release any details or identify Archangel-Ortiz’s relationship with the person, citing privacy concerns.

The gunfire also left an officer dead, authorities said.

Three members of staff at the Memorial Hospital, including a doctor and nurse, and two other officers were shot and wounded in the attack.

A fourth staff member was injured during a fall.

Mr Barker added that gunfire erupted after officers went to engage Archangel-Ortiz, who was holding a female staff member at gunpoint as her hands were bound by zip ties.

“This is a huge loss to our community,” Mr Barker said at a press conference following the shooting. “It is absolutely clear, and beyond any and all doubt, that the officers were justified in taking their action using deadly force.”

Mr Barker added that while the investigation is in its early stages, it appears Archangel-Ortiz had previous contact with the hospital’s ICU earlier in the week for “a medical purpose involving another individual” and that he intentionally targeted the workers there.

The officer who died in the shooting was identified as Andrew Duarte of the West York Borough Police Department.

“We all have broken hearts and are grieving at his loss,” West York Borough manager Shawn Mauck told the Associated Press.

Mr Duarte was a law enforcement veteran who joined the West York Borough Police Department in 2022 after five years with the Denver Police Department in Colorado, according to his LinkedIn profile.

He described receiving a “hero award” in 2021 from Mothers Against Drunk Driving for his work in impaired driving enforcement for the state of Colorado.

Pennsylvania governor Josh Shapiro described the attack on police and healthcare workers as “the act of a coward”.

“Let it not be lost on anyone the act of extraordinary bravery and courage by the healthcare workers here, by the law enforcement professionals… who ran towards danger to keep people safe,” Mr Shapiro said.

The shooting was the latest episode of a wave of gun violence in recent years that has swept through US hospitals and medical centres, which have struggled to adapt to the growing threats.

Such attacks have contributed to making health care one of the nation’s most dangerous fields, with workers suffering more nonfatal injuries from workplace violence than workers in any other profession, as per the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.