Pennsylvania cop killer identified as Matthew James Ruth

Joseph Wilkinson, New York Daily News on Sep 18, 2025

By clicking submit, I authorize Arcamax and its affiliates to: (1) use, sell, and share my information for marketing purposes, including cross-context behavioral advertising, as described in our Privacy Policy , (2) add to information that I provide with other information like interests inferred from web page views, or data lawfully obtained from data brokers, such as past purchase or location data, or publicly available data, (3) contact me or enable others to contact me by email or other means with offers for different types of goods and services, and (4) retain my information while I am engaging with marketing messages that I receive and for a reasonable amount of time thereafter. I understand I can opt out at any time through an email that I receive, or by clicking here

The man who fatally shot three police officers in southern Pennsylvania was identified Thursday as Matthew James Ruth.

Ruth, 24, was killed in the shootout, in which he wounded two additional officers, authorities said. The cops involved have not been publicly identified.

Officers arrived at the home in North Codorus Township to arrest Ruth on charges of misdemeanor stalking, misdemeanor prowling at nighttime and summary criminal trespass, according to an affidavit obtained by the York Daily Record.

Instead, Ruth was lying in wait in the surrounding cornfields and opened fire on the officers, law enforcement sources told CNN. He then headed for the farmhouse and wounded two more officers, one of whom returned fire and killed Ruth, the sources said.

Ruth’s ex-girlfriend lived at the home, the Daily Record reported. She told police that her truck had been set on fire a few weeks ago, and she believed Ruth was responsible.

Police were first called to the home on Tuesday night, when the residents reported a man with binoculars standing in the driveway and peering into the house, according to the Daily Record. Trail cameras showed the man holding an assault-style rifle, police said.