Two former Maryland police officers killed in line of duty during separate incidents
Two former Ocean City Police officers died in the line of duty during two separate shooting incidents over the weekend, department officials said.
One of the officers was killed in a shooting during a traffic stop in Virginia, and the other was killed during an active shooter response at a Pennsylvania hospital.
Virginia Beach officers killed
On Friday, Feb. 21, two officers were shot and killed during a traffic stop in Virginia. Both officers worked for the Virginia Beach Police Department.
One of those officers, Cameron Girvin, began his law enforcement career with Ocean City Police in 2018, according to officials.
Officers Girvin and Christopher Reese were both on patrol when they attempted to pull over a vehicle with an expired license plate. The driver refused to stop and the two officers followed the car before the shooting occurred.
When the officers were able to approach the car, the driver refused and "was immediately argumentative," according to Virginia Beach Police Chief Paul Neudigate.
The driver eventually got out and became involved in an altercation with the officers. During the altercation, the driver pulled out a pistol and shot the officers.
Chief Neudigate said the driver shot the officers a second time when they were on the ground. Both officers were taken to a hospital where they died.
The suspected shooter - identified as 42-year-old John McCoy III - was later found dead near where the traffic stop occurred, according to police. It is believed he died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
According to Ocean City Police officials, Officer Girvin served as a public safety aid and worked the boardwalk during the evening shift. He became a Virginia Beach Police officer in 2020.
Pennsylvania hospital shooting
On Saturday, Feb. 22, another former Ocean City Police officer was killed during a shooting at a hospital in York County, Pennsylvania. The shooting also injured multiple staff members at UPMC Memorial Hospital, the district attorney said.
The gunman entered the hospital's intensive care unit where he took multiple staff members hostage. Hospital officers responded but said the suspected gunman - identified as 49-year-old Diogenes Archangel-Ortiz - fired shots at them.
During a shootout with local police officers, Archangel-Ortiz opened fire, hitting three officers and three staff members, including a doctor, nurse and custodian. The suspected shooter was ultimately killed by police during the shootout.
An officer from the Northern York County Regional Police Department and another from the Springettsbury Township Police Department were both listed in stable condition, according to CBS News Philadelphia.
Andrew Duarte with the West York Borough Police Department was killed.
Duarte began his career with the Ocean City Police Department, officials said. He started as a seasonal officer in 2016 and was assigned to the dayshift. He worked for the Denver Police Department for five years before transferring to the Pennsylvania department in 2022.
"Losing one of our own, no matter where they served, is a profound reminder of the risks we take and the bond we share," Interim Chief Michael Colbert said.
