DENVER — Coloradans are honoring a former Denver police officer who was killed in the line of duty during a hostage situation at a Pennsylvania hospital on Saturday.
Three staffers at UPMC Memorial Hospital, including a doctor, a nurse and a custodian, and two other officers were shot and wounded in the attack, York County District Attorney Tim Barker said. A fourth staff member was injured during a fall.
Gunfire erupted after officers went to engage the shooter, who Barker identified as Diogenes Archangel-Ortiz, 49. He said Archangel-Ortiz was holding at gunpoint a female staff member who had her hands tied with zip ties when police opened fire.
Barker added that while the investigation is in its early stages, it appears Archangel-Ortiz had previous contact with the hospital's ICU earlier in the week for “a medical purpose involving another individual" and that he intentionally targeted the workers there.
The officer who died in the shooting was identified as Andrew Duarte of the West York Borough Police Department.
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Former Denver officer killed after gunman took hostages at Pennsylvania hospital
Duarte was a law enforcement veteran who joined the West York Borough Police Department in 2022 after five years with the Denver Police Department, according to his LinkedIn profile.
Glenn Davis, a former highway safety manager for the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT), met Duarte a few years ago through the Drug Recognition Expert (DRE) program.
"That's a real high level of training, and the officers that they bring in are selected, and they're very skilled. And Andrew was in that class. And even though Andrew is not — was not — big in stature, we just kind of felt he was a big person," Davis said. "All through the class, he was academically very bright. What we were impressed [with] was not only was he very bright, he would help other people get to those standards, and through that course, he was the top student."
Davis presented Duarte with an award for being at the top of his class in 2021.
"Impaired driving a Colorado is no easy task, and it's not a real glamorous task. And if you could be successful in a city like Denver, which has a high population, you're special," Davis added.
Davis said Duarte saved countless lives during his time in DUI enforcement and called his death is a tremendous loss for so many.
"It's just a shock. He died a hero. He shouldn't have died at all, but it's just a loss to the Colorado law enforcement community, the Pennsylvania community, his family and friends," he said.
In 2021, Duarte also received the Hero Award from Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD). Rebecca Green, MADD's state executive director for Colorado and Wyoming, said she is forever grateful for all Duarte did to save lives in Colorado.
"Any time there's ever a loss of life, it's devastating when it's somebody that you know has worked so hard for your mission. I know, based on how he performed here in Colorado, that he was there to save lives, and he, up to his very last breath, was there to save lives," Green said.
Duarte was asked to be a keynote speaker at MADD's law enforcement recognition event in 2020.
"In that short year, he had received all of the SFST, which is the Standard Field Sobriety Training, as well as the DRE training, which is Drug Recognition Expert Training, and he actually became an SFST instructor in just that short amount of time," she said.
Green said a statement Duarte made during his speech has still stuck with her.
"He said, 'Every DUI processed is one life saved, one family left intact, and one less statistic.' And I think that that is how he lived his life. He was dedicated to saving lives. He was dedicated to DUI enforcement, and he really, truly saw his job and his role in the community as a conduit for safety. And for that, we are forever grateful, and we are grateful to his family, as well, and share our sympathy with them," she said.
In a statement, Denver Mayor Mike Johnston thanked Duarte for his service to the city.
"Officer Duarte spent five years protecting our city. For that, we owe him a debt we can never repay," Johnston said.
- Read the full statement below
Donations to Duarte's family can be made online through the York County Safety Collaborative.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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