YORK, PA — A sleepy Saturday morning at UPMC Memorial Hospital turned into a war zone when a gunman stormed in, took staff hostage, and left a trail of blood—one that claimed a police officer’s life and wounded five others. The chaos ended with bullets flying, but the question lingers: what drove this madman to snap?
It kicked off around 10:35 a.m. on February 22, 2025, in the hospital’s ICU. Diogenes Archangel Ortiz, 49, barged in armed with a handgun and zip ties, ready to trap anyone in his path. He shot three staffers—a doctor grazed by a bullet, a nurse, and a janitor—plus two cops, all now clinging to stable condition. Another worker got hurt tumbling in the panic. Then Ortiz grabbed an ICU staffer, zip-tied her hands, and held a gun to her head, barking at police to back off.
Cops tried talking him down, but when Ortiz stepped into the hallway still clutching his hostage, they had no choice—guns blazed, and he went down for good. Tragically, Officer Andrew Duarte from West York Borough PD took a fatal bullet in the firefight, leaving York County mourning a fallen hero. “He died saving lives,” Governor Josh Shapiro said, ordering flags lowered in his honor. Prosecutors say the shootout was a last resort to free the hostage and stop the rampage.
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Why the ICU? York DA Tim Barker says Ortiz had a prior medical beef tied to someone else there last week—details are murky, but it wasn’t random. No patients got hit, and the hospital’s secure now, per UPMC’s Susan Manko. Witnesses like Betsy Small described a blur of sirens and riot shields; Jayden Robertson thought it was a drill until the body count hit the news.
