Suspect in Killing of 3 Pa. Officers ID'd — and Police Say He Ambushed Them After Stalking Ex at Rural Farmhouse By Samira Asma-Sadeque

Authorities in Pennsylvania say the man who killed three officers ambushed them in camouflage clothing outside his ex-girlfriend’s farmhouse after the woman sought protection from him.

The man, who was then killed by officers in York County, Pa., on Wednesday, Sept. 17, has been identified as Matthew James Ruth, the Associated Press reported, citing unspecified court documents.

The officers who were killed had not been publicly named by press time.

Police say before the shooting, Ruth was being pursued on stalking charges after his ex-girlfriend claimed she saw him outside her house.

He had also been charged with trespassing as well as loitering and prowling at night, according to online court records filed earlier on Wednesday.

Police say those charges stemmed from a domestic-related investigation from the day prior, per AP.

The resident of the farmhouse is Ruth’s ex-girlfriend, CNN reported.

In a probable cause affidavit regarding those charges, police allege the woman reported a man on her property “with binoculars looking into the residence through a window” on Tuesday, WGAL reported.

The woman also said her pickup truck had been set on fire in August, and she suspected Ruth was behind the incident.

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She told police she dated him briefly but he had never been invited to her home.

A neighbor of Ruth’s told the AP that she remembers him doing fundraising for the Boy Scouts, but further information about the man was not immediately available.

If you are experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or go to thehotline.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.