A black mourning band is seen on the badge of Northern York County Regional Police Department chief David Lash as he reacts to York County District Attorney Tim Barker speaking about three fallen officers from Lash's department during a press conference at the headquarters of Northern York County Regional Police Department on Regional Way, Thursday, Sept. 18, 2025, in Manchester.
Community members gather for a candlelight vigil at the Northern York County Regional Police Department's David Tome substation the day after five police officers were shot, three of whom were killed, during an ambush at a nearby home home in North Codorus Township, as seen Thursday, Sept. 18, 2025, in Heidelberg Township.

It's something police officers do every day, but the fear of something unexpected and tragic never goes away, David Sarni said.

Sarni remembers executing countless search and arrest warrants during his time as a detective with the New York City Police Department. No amount of research into the suspect or surveillance could make the nerves go away.

"You expect the worst, but hope for the best," said Sarni, now retired from policing and an adjunct professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice.

Serving warrants requires officers to arrest a person suspected of committing a serious crime or secure crucial evidence, both situations that up the chances that a dangerous suspect might be lying in wait.

The killing of three police officers at a home in rural Pennsylvania has once again shone a spotlight on the potential for everyday police work to turn deadly. Two other officers were injured in the Sept. 17 shooting that occurred while police were looking to arrest a man who had been charged with stalking, prowling and trespassing.

"A warrant is some of the most absolute dangerous work our police officers do because they never know exactly what they'll encounter," said Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday. "The officers involved with this incident went to a home to protect a woman and her children, they encountered a force of evil, hell bent on taking lives."

What happened in the Pennsylvania shooting?

The deadly shooting "began as an incident of domestic violence," according to Tim Barker, the district attorney for York County. Barker said Matthew J. Ruth was spotted on his ex-girlfriend's mother's property on Sept. 16 with an "AR-15 style rifle slung across his chest" and suspected of setting his former partner's car on fire the month before.

A warrant was issued for his arrest, and police returned to the home the next day searching for him, Barker said. As soon as officers opened the door, Ruth allegedly opened fire, killing three and seriously wounding two more in what Barker called a "brutal ambush."

Many deadly attacks on police linked to warrant service

Officers attempting to execute a search or arrest warrant are often walking into unknown territory and uncertain of how the suspect or suspects may react, experts said. Doing so can have deadly consequences.

"They're always dangerous," Sarni said. "Prepare all you can, but you don't know the mind of the person or people inside the apartment or building or house when you do one."

Eight of the officers who were killed by gunfire in the line of duty in 2024 died while serving warrants, civil papers or during an eviction, according to preliminary data gathered by the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund. In the first six months of 2025, at least 42 officers have been killed in the line of duty, according to the organization, including 41-year-old deputy sheriff Jesus Vargas of Texas’ Brazoria County, south of Houston, who was fatally shot while serving a warrant on Jan. 15.

Some of the deadliest and most notorious attacks on law enforcement in the nation's history involved warrant service, including an April 2024 incident in which four officers were killed and four others were injured while attempting to serve a warrant in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Notably, four agents with the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms were serving a search warrant on a Branch Davidian compound when they were killed in Waco, Texas, on Feb. 28, 1993.

Serving domestic violence warrants highly dangerous for victims, too

When a case involves domestic violence, the stakes can be even higher for both police and the survivors, according to Mark Wynn, a retired lieutenant with the Nashville Metropolitan Police Department who trains officers in domestic violence prevention.

"Most often when officers are killed, they're killed at the same time victims are killed, at separation," Wynn said. "So when you see an offender strike out at a victim or family members, it's usually because they've lost control of the family, and that's when they strike back. And that's usually when police are involved."

Wynn said there are a number of indicators, including stalking and other violent behavior, that signal an offender is likely to seriously harm their partner or police. To keep both citizens and officers safe, he said police must thoroughly investigate whether these factors are present, ideally using an evaluation called a lethality assessment.

But even the most prepared officers have to be on guard when serving a warrant, Wynn said, because domestic violence situations "can go from zero to 100 miles an hour in a second." Officer safety is particularly a concern in remote areas where suspects may have ample time to plan an ambush before police can get to the scene, he said.

"Anytime they can see you, you can't see them, you're at a disadvantage," Wynn said. "There's no doubt about that."

If you are a victim of domestic violence, the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799-7233 allows you to speak confidentially with trained advocates online or by the phone, which they recommend for those who think their online activity is being monitored by their abuser. They can help survivors develop a plan to achieve safety for themselves and their children.

Contributing: Amanda Lee Myers

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Ambush police killing happened amid a routine and dangerous police duty

Reporting by N'dea Yancey-Bragg, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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