Payje Davis
Associate Arts & Culture Editor
Officer Andrew Duarte of the West York Borough Police Department was laid to rest on Friday, Feb. 28, at Living Word Community Church in Red Lion, Pennsylvania.
Officer Duarte was killed in the line of duty at UPMC Memorial Hospital in West Manchester Twp on Saturday, Feb. 22, following a hostage situation that ended in shots being fired, hitting five people, killing Duarte in the process.
49-year-old Diogenes Archangel-Ortiz lost a terminally ill family member in the care of the UPMC ICU a week before the attack, something he had difficulty accepting. Archangel Ortiz walked into that hospital around 10:30 a.m. with a handgun and zip ties, headed straight for the ICU. The culprit held multiple nurses at gunpoint, with one nurse recounting, “Every click of that gun was like being punched in the head,” according to a Facebook post from Jason Huff recounting his wife, Jessica Breighner’s experience on her behalf.
Another nurse, Tosha Trostle, recounted her situation of being held hostage by the attacker. “I eventually fell onto the floor under the weight of the shooter’s body. The officers told me to run. I struggled to get out from under him.”
Trostle recalled as police burst through the doors, she heard gunshots, and then the shell casings hit the floor as police took down Archangel-Ortiz.
UPMC did not have metal detectors at the hospital entrance at the time of the incident. However, the call for them at the hospital entrance has been astronomical following this incident.
Officers and EMS from counties all over the region have come together to honor Duarte’s life of service. Before the service, officers were seen gathered at the Rutters across the street from where the funeral was held, laughing and talking together.