Officer killed in gunman's Pennsylvania hospital siege was felled by police fire, prosecutor says

YORK, Pa. (AP) — A police officer killed while responding to a Pennsylvania hospital siege was struck by a shotgun blast fired by another officer that also hit the attacker as he held a hospital worker hostage with a gun to her head, a prosecutor disclosed Wednesday.

The attacker and West York Patrolman Andrew W. Duarte were killed in the gunfire at UPMC Memorial Hospital in York on Feb. 22, while several other officers and hospital employees were injured.

The disclosure that Duarte was killed by shots from fellow police came as York County District Attorney Tim Barker announced the findings of his investigation and pinned blame for Duarte's death on the attacker.

That man, Diogenes Archangel-Ortiz, 49, was shot as he was attempting to leave the intensive care unit with a zip-tied hospital employee and a gun already emptied of bullets. It was then, Barker said, that officers unleashed a barrage of gunfire.

He said the responding officers, waiting just outside the ICU's doors, fired 22 times, striking Archangel-Ortiz at least 15 times. The zip-tied hospital employee wasn't hit, but an officer's shotgun blast that hit Archangel-Ortiz also felled Duarte and wounded a second officer, Barker said.

Barker called the officers heroes who risked their lives for the hostages while not knowing the attacker's weapon was already emptied of bullets. He called their actions “100% justified and legally appropriate.”

“I looked at every moment of video and I saw on every person’s face that willingness to walk into, to run into the path of gunfire and potential death. They were willing to lay down their lives for every single person at that hospital,” Barker said.

Hundreds of officers attended Duarte’s funeral in February, remembering him as a dedicated public servant who died a hero.

Archangel-Ortiz “unleashed a torrent of evil” and directly caused Duarte’s death during a siege in which he threatened and zip-tied several hospital employees and fired his gun at several, hitting one in the leg, Barker said.

The attack occurred after Archangel-Ortiz learned the woman he lived with had died following a week of treatment at the hospital, Barker said, adding the gun used in the attack was stolen in 2017.

He said Archangel-Ortiz appeared to become nauseous when a doctor told him the woman had been moved to the hospital morgue.

Moments later, he displayed the gun and announced, “This is what we're going to talk about,” according to Barker. Archangel-Ortiz fired on the doctor, grazing his arm and piercing a jacket. The doctor texted colleagues about the danger and fled from the ICU.

What ensued was a chaotic series of events in which Archangel-Ortiz threatened hospital employees and made one hospital worker zip tie others. One worker he shot in the leg escaped and locked herself in a bathroom.

Barker said Archangel-Ortiz called his brother during the siege, telling him, “This is how I'm going out.”

At one point, Archangel-Ortiz fired his 9mm handgun three times at an officer who tried to enter the ICU, missing all three times, Barker said. At another, he pointed it at a hospital employee who had broken out of her zip-ties and fired three times, only to hear a clicking noise because the gun was already empty, he said.

Police tried to talk to Archangel-Ortiz, Barker said, as they also organized teams at the intensive care unit doors and formulated a plan to enter the ICU unit behind a tactical shield.

That's when Archangel-Ortiz tried to leave the ICU with a zip-tied employee, telling her to “take him to where the most people are,” Barker said.

Barker said there was no warning signs Archangel-Ortiz would become violent and they had no details why he did what he did, noting, “sometimes there is no ‘why’” and that Archangel-Ortiz had been “fully prepared to take hostages and kill people.”

Some of the nurses who survived have shared their accounts on social media, disclosing injuries and treatment and how the attack has haunted the survivors. The attack highlighted rising violence against U.S. health care workers and the challenges of protecting them.

Nurse Tosha Trostle said Archangel-Ortiz held her at gunpoint, arms zip-tied behind her back, as they walked through a doorway and encountered a phalanx of officers.

She said she begged Archangel-Ortiz to let her go and that he pushed the gun against her neck and spine. She heard gunshots and fell to the floor under his body.

“The officers told me to run. I struggled to get out from under him,” Trostle wrote. “I remember his limp cold hand against my face as I pushed away with my feet.”

Scolforo reported from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

York County District Attorney Timothy Barker speaks at a news conference in York County offices Wednesday, April 30, 2025, in York, Pa. (AP Photo/Marc Levy)

FILE - Leah Fauth gets a hug after leaving flowers in front of the West York Police Department after a police officer was killed responding to a shooting at UPMC Memorial Hospital in York, Pa., Feb. 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)

FILE - A person walks by the entrance of UPMC Memorial Hospital in York, Pa., Feb. 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)

FILE - The remains of West York Borough Police Officer Andrew Duarte, arrive for his funeral at Living Word Community Church, in Red Lion, Pa., Feb. 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)

FILE - Law enforcement arrive at the scene of a shooting at UPMC Memorial Hospital in York, Pa., Feb. 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Mark Scolforo, File)

FILE - Linda Shields pays her respects in front of the West York Police Department after a police officer was killed responding to a shooting at UPMC Memorial Hospital in York, Pa., Feb. 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)

NEW YORK (AP) — Thousands of nurses in three hospital systems in New York City went on strike Monday after negotiations through the weekend failed to yield breakthroughs in their contract disputes.

The strike was taking place at The Mount Sinai Hospital and two of its satellite campuses, with picket lines forming. The other affected hospitals are NewYork-Presbyterian and Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx.

About 15,000 nurses are involved in the strike, according to New York State Nurses Association.

“After months of bargaining, management refused to make meaningful progress on core issues that nurses have been fighting for: safe staffing for patients, healthcare benefits for nurses, and workplace violence protections,” the union said in a statement issued Monday. “Management at the richest hospitals in New York City are threatening to discontinue or radically cut nurses’ health benefits.”

The strike, which comes during a severe flu season, could potentially force the hospitals to transfer patients, cancel procedures or divert ambulances. It could also put a strain on city hospitals not involved in the contract dispute, as patients avoid the medical centers hit by the strike.

The hospitals involved have been hiring temporary nurses to try and fill the labor gap during the walkout, and said in a statement during negotiations that they would “do whatever is necessary to minimize disruptions.” Montefiore posted a message assuring patients that appointments would be kept.

“NYSNA’s leaders continue to double down on their $3.6 billion in reckless demands, including nearly 40% wage increases, and their troubling proposals like demanding that a nurse not be terminated if found to be compromised by drugs or alcohol while on the job," Montefiore spokesperson Joe Solmonese said Monday after the strike had started. "We remain resolute in our commitment to providing safe and seamless care, regardless of how long the strike may last.”

New York-Presbyterian accused the union of staging a strike to “create disruption,” but said in a statement that it has taken steps to ensure patients receive the care they need.

"We’re ready to keep negotiating a fair and reasonable contract that reflects our respect for our nurses and the critical role they play, and also recognizes the challenging realities of today’s healthcare environment,” the statement said.

The work stoppage is occurring at multiple hospitals simultaneously, but each medical center is negotiating with the union independently. Several other hospitals across the city and in its suburbs reached deals in recent days to avert a possible strike.

The nurses’ demands vary by hospital, but the major issues include staffing levels and workplace safety. The union says hospitals have given nurses unmanageable workloads.

Nurses also want better security measures in the workplace, citing incidents like a an incident last week, when a man with a sharp object barricaded himself in a Brooklyn hospital room and was then killed by police.

The union also wants limitations on hospitals’ use of artificial intelligence.

The nonprofit hospitals involved in the negotiations say they’ve been working to improve staffing levels, but say the union’s demands overall are too costly.

Nurses voted to authorize the strike last month.

Both New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and Mayor Zohran Mamdani had expressed concern about the possibility of the strike. As the strike deadline neared, Mamdani urged both sides to keep negotiating and reach a deal that “both honors our nurses and keeps our hospitals open.”

“Our nurses kept this city alive through its hardest moments. Their value is not negotiable,” Mamdani said.

State Attorney General Letitia James voiced similar support, saying "nurses put their lives on the line every day to keep New Yorkers healthy. They should never be forced to choose between their own safety, their patients’ well-being, and a fair contract.”

The last major nursing strike in the city was only three years ago, in 2023. That work stoppage, at Mount Sinai and Montefiore, was short, lasting three days. It resulted in a deal raising pay 19% over three years at those hospitals.

It also led to promised staffing improvements, though the union and hospitals now disagree about how much progress has been made, or whether the hospitals are retreating from staffing guarantees.

Nurses strike outside Mount Sinai West Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside Mount Sinai West Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside Mount Sinai West Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside Mount Sinai West Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

FILE - A medical worker transports a patient at Mount Sinai Hospital, April 1, 2020, in New York. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer, File)