3 York County, Pennsylvania detectives killed in shooting honored in funeral
The police department prankster. The night-shift warrior who was always willing to share home improvement tips. All of them unfailingly devoted to their jobs, faith and families.
In a heartfelt funeral service Thursday, loved ones and fellow officers mourned and shared stories about the three police detectives killed in a shooting in York County, Pennsylvania, last week: Detective Mark Baker, Detective Isaiah Emenheiser and Detective Sgt. Cody Becker
Funeral services began at 12 p.m. for Baker, Emenheiser and Becker, members of the Northern York County Regional Police Department who were killed in the line of duty on Sept. 17, 2025.
The three were responding to a domestic call on the 1800 block of Haar Road in North Codorus Township, a rural area about 20 minutes from the Mason-Dixon line, near the Maryland border.
The detectives were in a group of five investigating the property at a farmhouse when they were ambushed by shots fired by a suspect, 24-year-old Matthew James Ruth. Officials said Ruth was armed with an AR-style rifle and likely intended to kill an ex-girlfriend and her mother, who lived at the home, but had left for their safety.
Baker, Emenheiser and Becker were killed when they approached the unlocked front door of the home, and Ruth began firing from inside. Two other officers engaged in a gun battle with the suspect, killing him before trying to render aid to the fallen officers.
One of the two surviving officers, Lt. David Godfrey, is now in satisfactory condition after the shooting. No update has been released on the condition of the other officer.
Funeral shares more about York County officers' personalities
In a roughly 90-minute service at the Living Word Community Church in Red Lion, Pennsylvania, listeners and loved ones learned more about the fallen officers as people.
Baker, 53, was a former Philadelphia highway patrol officer from 2001 to 2004 before moving to York County. A tech whiz and computer forensics expert, he was also the "giant teddy bear" and the first to play a practical joke on a colleague.
Cpl. Steve Lebo was often on the receiving end.
"You used to make fun of me for looking up and to the right to think to myself, and often called me a deep thinker," Lebo said. "You'd say, 'What are you looking at up there?' You even hung up a sign in my office that said 'Steve's thinking corner', and you slapped it way up and out of the reach of my hand from your giant 6-foot-5-inch stature. I will undoubtedly always see your face up in that corner for the rest of my life."
Baker did a lot more than leave behind a sign.
"You froze my patrol hat, you licked my computer screen, and you even put my personal cell as the call forwarding number for the after-hours phone calls to our police station," Lebo said.
Emmenheiser was always sharing tips about home renovations and was a huge fan of the Philadelphia Eagles. Becker, the youngest of the three, "was a hero long before the badge made him one to the eyes of the world," Living Word's pastor Aaron Anderson said.
While there was much to learn about the officers as people separate from their jobs, the officers' funeral paid homage to their service as well, with closed caskets draped in American flags set in the front of the church below a stage.
"We will carry forward the legacy of Cody, Mark and Isaiah," Chief David Lash said. "They were the best of us. Their sacrifice is a solemn reminder of the cost of service, but also the courage required to stand in the face of darkness."
Services concluded before 2 p.m. Hundreds of law enforcement personnel, including some of Baker's old Philadelphia colleagues, were present.
The service was closed to the public and an overflow viewing area was established at a chapel down the road.
The officers were then returned to their families for private burials.
Obituaries reveal more about fallen detectives
Detective Isaiah Emenheiser
Obituaries at the Wagner-Elfner and Burg Funeral Home in Red Lion say Emenheiser, a 43-year-old former U.S. Secret Service agent, was a married father of two who coached his children's soccer teams. The Philadelphia Eagles fan was a devoted member of the local Providence Community Church.
He received the Lifesaving Award for one fateful act of heroism on Aug. 1, 2005, when he was serving as a Thomasville, Pennsylvania, police officer. Officer Emenheiser broke through the window into a burning mobile home to rescue a man trapped inside, and then performed lifesaving CPR.
Detective Mark Baker
A married father of five, Detective Mark Baker previously served as a member of the Philadelphia police Highway Patrol. In his youth, he was a member of the Boy Scouts of America and achieved the rank of Eagle Scout, later becoming a Cubmaster and Assistant Scoutmaster. He was also an Eagles and Flyers fan and played Dungeons and Dragons.
Detective Sgt. Cody Becker
Sgt. Cody Becker, 39, was a former standout high school and Division 1 NCAA wrestler at Spring Grove High School and Millersville University. Like Emenheiser, Becker had also run into a burning building at one point in his career.
On June 8, 2010, he climbed onto the second story of a burning building to catch children escaping from a window, helping save a family of four, according to his obit. The father of two loved trips up to the mountains in Potter County, Pennsylvania, which he called "God's Country."