Mark Baker, a 53-year-old White/Caucasian male, was one of three Northern York County Regional Police detectives killed on September 17, 2025, during an ambush at a rural home on Haar Road in North Codorus Township near Spring Grove, Pennsylvania. Baker, Detective Sergeant Cody Becker, and Detective Isaiah Emenheiser had gone to the property with other law enforcement officers to locate and arrest 24-year-old Matthew James Ruth, who was wanted on charges connected to stalking, loitering and
prowling at nighttime, and criminal trespass.
The confrontation began the night before, after Ruth was allegedly seen on trail camera footage near the home of his ex-girlfriend’s family. Authorities said he had been hiding on the property, using binoculars and camouflage, and that the woman’s family had become alarmed enough to contact police. Investigators later described the situation as rooted in domestic violence. The ex-girlfriend and her mother left the home for their safety, while officers searched for Ruth but did not find him that night.
The next afternoon, detectives returned to the farm property. The front door of the home was found unlocked, even though the family had reportedly locked it before leaving. When the detectives opened the door, Ruth was inside. Authorities said he was armed with an AR-style rifle fitted with a suppressor and immediately opened fire. Baker, Becker, and Emenheiser were fatally struck, and another Northern York County Regional Police officer was seriously wounded.
A York County sheriff’s deputy, later identified in reports as Lt. David Godfrey, was also shot during the attack. After Ruth fired on the officers at the door, a brief but intense exchange of gunfire followed outside the home. The surviving wounded officers returned fire, and Ruth was fatally shot. Officials said the shootout unfolded in seconds, ending before additional backup could change the course of the ambush.
The York County Coroner’s Office later ruled the deaths of Baker, Becker, and Emenheiser homicides and determined that all three died from multiple gunshot wounds. Ruth also died at the scene, so there was no arrest, trial, or conviction in the case. Authorities identified him as the gunman and said the arrest warrant officers were serving stemmed from the stalking-related allegations involving his ex-girlfriend.
Investigators also found the family’s black Labrador dead inside the home, reportedly shot in the basement. York County District Attorney Tim Barker said Ruth appeared to have been waiting inside the residence and believed the intended targets may have been his ex-girlfriend and her mother had they returned home instead of police. Officials said Ruth had no prior convictions that would have clearly barred him from possessing a firearm.
Baker’s death shook the Spring Grove and York County communities, not only because of the sudden violence but because he was killed while responding to what had begun as a domestic stalking investigation. He was remembered alongside Becker and Emenheiser as a dedicated detective who died in the line of duty while trying to protect others from a suspect authorities said had turned a private grievance into a deadly ambush.
