RED LION, Pa. (AP) — Three Pennsylvania detectives shot to death last week while attempting to arrest a stalking suspect were remembered at their funeral Thursday as exemplary officers and devoted family men.
The service for Northern York County Regional Police detectives Cody Michael Becker, Mark Edward Baker, and Isaiah Emenheiser was held more than a week after they were ambushed by a suspect connected to a reported stalking incident.
“They were gentle, they were kind,” Northern Regional Chief David L. Lash recalled in a eulogy. “They confronted some of the most evil human behaviors imaginable. And not only did they face those challenges, they did so while holding fast to faith, compassion, and uncompromising honor.”
A motorcade carrying the flag-draped caskets brought the fallen officers to Living Word Community Church in Red Lion, where hundreds of police officers gathered to pay their respects and support the families of the slain detectives.
“Their sacrifice is a solemn reminder of the cost of service but also the courage required to stand in the face of darkness,” Lash said.
Autopsy results indicated that all three officers died of multiple gunshot wounds.
A prosecutor revealed that the stalking suspect, identified as 24-year-old Matthew James Ruth, opened fire on the officers as they entered a residence to apprehend him. Ruth died during the shootout with police.
Becker, who was 39, had served as a sergeant of detectives for 16 years and was known for his heroic actions, such as rescuing children from a burning building in 2010. He is survived by his wife and two children. A public funeral for Becker will take place at Spring Grove Area High School this Sunday.
Baker, 53, and an Army veteran, had a career of over two decades in law enforcement, having previously served with the Philadelphia Police Department. He was noted for his role in computer forensic investigations. He leaves behind a wife and four children. Emenheiser, 43, was praised as a mentor and active community leader, and is survived by his wife and two children.
The ongoing reverberations of their loss resonate not only within their department but throughout the communities they served and protected. The heroes' dedication to their duty and their families remains an enduring legacy.
