Former Philly Cop Killed In Ambush On Police

PHILADELPHIA — One of the three police officers killed Wednesday in York County has been identified as a former Philadelphia Police Officer.

State Police Det. Pennsylvania State Police Mark Baker was killed Wednesday alongside Det. Sgt. Cody Becker and Det. Isaiah Emenheiser.

The three, all members of the Northern York County Regional Police Department, were shot to death by Matthew James Ruth, 24. Ruth died in a gun battle with authorities.

Baker, Becker, and Emenheiser, along with at least two others, were following up on a domestic investigation in North Codorus Township that began Tuesday, Pennsylvania State Police Col. Christopher Paris said. The surviving officers were in critical but stable condition at a hospital, Paris said.

The Philadelphia Fraternal Order of Police Lodge No. 5 president Roosevelt Poplar identified Baker as a former Philly cop.

Baker was a member of the Philadelphia Police Department from 2001 to 2004. He first served in 25th District before joining the highway patrol unit.

He had a 21-year career in law enforcement.

The investigation was occurring about 115 miles west of Philadelphia, not far from the Maryland line, authorities said. The medical response unfolded on a rural road in south-central Pennsylvania that winds through an agricultural area with a red barn and farm fields.

Gov. Josh Shapiro has ordered all U.S. and state flags in Pennsylvania to be lowered to half-staff in memory of the slain officers. The flags will remain lowered until the date of interment for the officers, which has not yet been announced.

"Our Commonwealth owes a debt of gratitude to our law enforcement officers and the three who sacrificed their lives today to keep us safe," he said in a social media post.

Wednesday was the deadliest day for law enforcement officers since 2009, when three Pittsburgh police officers were killed in an ambush in Pittsburgh. Two other officers were injured in that shooting as well.