York, PA – In the days leading up to the tragic shooting at UPMC Memorial Hospital, a physician assistant at the facility recalled delivering devastating news to Diogenes Archangel-Ortiz, the 49-year-old gunman who later took hostages and opened fire, killing West York Borough Police Officer Andrew Duarte and injuring five others.
Certified physician assistant Lester Mendoza described his interactions with Archangel-Ortiz over multiple days, recalling how he and a colleague had informed the man of the death of a loved one.
“I was there when we delivered the worst news imaginable to him—that his loved one was gone. I saw his devastation firsthand. In that moment, I truly did not see a monster. He was simply broken,” Mendoza wrote in a social media post following the attack.
Mendoza further detailed a deeply human interaction he had with Archangel-Ortiz just a day before the shooting.
“My colleague and I shared our own personal experiences of loss with this man. We developed a human connection as he showed us pictures of his loved one, an engagement gift of a beautiful pink and white necklace and watch, which I thanked him for sharing. He thanked me for sharing mine.”
Despite their conversations, Mendoza admitted he never anticipated that Archangel-Ortiz would carry out such a violent act.
“But grief, exhaustion, isolation, and a lack of mental health and social support services create cracks that people fall through. And when they do, the consequences can be catastrophic,” he wrote. “No one should feel so unheard or unsupported that they resort to violence. No nurse, no doctor, no provider should have to fear for their life at work. And yet, here we are.”
Mendoza condemned the healthcare system, calling it broken and stating that it is failing both patients and providers.
Newly obtained court records shed light on Archangel-Ortiz’s criminal past, revealing a history of domestic violence.
In October 2016, police arrested Archangel-Ortiz for assaulting his then-girlfriend, hitting her in the back of the head with a wine glass while both were intoxicated.
Neighbors, who had alerted authorities, reported hearing him shout, “I’m going to kill you, b**,”* according to police reports.
Following the incident, his girlfriend obtained a Protection From Abuse (PFA) order against him. Archangel-Ortiz later pleaded guilty to violating that order, as well as to a harassment charge stemming from the same assault.
Despite his criminal record, those who knew Archangel-Ortiz before the shooting described him as a complex individual who battled lifelong depression.
A former girlfriend said he was “friendly and kind” but struggled with mental health issues.
As authorities continue to investigate the motive behind Saturday’s hospital attack, the community of York remains in mourning over the loss of Officer Andrew Duarte.