A routine follow-up on a domestic case turned into a nightmare in rural Pennsylvania.
Three police officers are dead, two more critically wounded, and a small town is reeling.
What went so terribly wrong on an otherwise quiet afternoon in North Codorus Township?
State Police Commissioner Christopher Paris said the suspect opened fire on officers shortly after 2 p.m.
Tuesday. Police shot back, killing the gunman.
Images from the scene showed a Medevac helicopter lifting one injured officer from a grassy field as emergency crews scrambled to save lives.
A Small Town In Shock And Grief
Spring Grove’s school district went into a brief shelter-in-place as a precaution.
“There’s no active threat to the public,” officials later reassured residents. But in a town of just 2,500, the shock was immediate.
Governor Josh Shapiro arrived the next day, meeting grieving families and ordering state flags lowered to half-mast.
“We grieve for the loss of life of three precious souls who served this county, served this commonwealth, served this country,” he said.
“This kind of violence is not OK. We need to do better as a society.”
The FBI is now assisting local investigators.
For a community used to rolling hills and quiet roads, the echoes of gunfire — and the loss of its protectors — will not fade quickly.
