YORK, PA - In a selfless act of heroism, a York, Pennsylvania police officer who responded to an active shooter at UPMC Memorial Hospital’s intensive care unit who had been shot but made it to a position of cover realized that a fellow officer was down and in a compromised position. Without hesitation, Officer Andrew Duarte, 30, ran back into the threat area despite his wounds, and dragged his comrade to safety, and held his hand in comfort. Duarte then collapsed and died.
That was what West York Police Chief Matthew Millsaps said at Duarte’s funeral at Living Word Community Church in Red Lion, the Associated Press reported.
“Andrew’s last physical act on the face of this earth was to run back towards that threat area,” Millsaps said while speaking in front of Duarte’s flag-draped casket, and dragged the other officer to safety. “When they made it to cover, Andrew collapsed and died.
Millsaps praised Duarte for putting “the mission first, and he gave a damn. I only pray that I’ll go the same way.”
The suspect, Diogenes Archangel-Ortiz, entered the hospital’s ICU and took three workers hostage, including a doctor, a nurse, and a custodian. The suspect was holding a female staff member, who had her hands bound with zip ties, hostage when gunfire erupted. Archangel Ortiz was killed in the exchange.
After Duarte’s death, York County District Attorney Tim Barker highlighted the grief the community felt.
“This is a huge loss to our community,” Barker said at a press conference. “It is absolutely clear, and beyond any doubt, that the officers were justified in taking their action using deadly force.” 4
Barker said the attack on the hospital’s ICU appeared to be a targeted attack, noting the suspect had previous contact with the ICU earlier in the week for “a medical purpose involving another individual.”
Duarte joined the police department in 2022 after five years with the Denver Police Department. In 2021, he received a “hero award” from Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) for his work in impaired driving enforcement.
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro praised Duarte and the other officers for their heroism. In a post on X, Shapiro said, “Their willingness to run toward danger helped save the lives of others. “I’m grateful to them and all law enforcement who answered the call today in York.”
In light of Officer Andrew Duarte’s selfless sacrifice to save the life of a fellow officer, Law Enforcement Today is asking that he be awarded, posthumously, the Public Safety Medal of Valor. That medal was created in 2001 by Congress and “recognizes extraordinary acts of heroism and bravery on the part of our nation’s public safety officers.”
An “act of valor” is defined as something “considered to be above and beyond the call of duty; and exhibiting exceptional courage, extraordinary decisiveness and presence of mind along with unusual swiftness of action, regardless of his or her personal safety, in an attempt to save or protect human life.”
We are asking Chief Millsaps to nominate Officer Duarte for this prestigious award in recognition of his selfless heroism, which likely saved the life of a fellow officer at tremendous risk to his own. His actions are emblematic of the heroism and selflessness for which the Medal of Valor was designed.
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