LNP, Lancaster, Pa.
LANCASTER, Pa. — The Lancaster County District Attorney’s Office determined Tuesday that the shooting of an armed man by a Northwest Regional police officer in Mount Joy Township earlier this month was justified.
Andrew Ward, 39, was killed in the shooting, which took place outside the Northwest Regional police station on Elizabethtown Road around 1:30 a.m. Nov. 3 .
The district attorney’s office released a two-minute silent video with clips of body camera footage from the officers involved showing the moments immediately prior to the shooting.
The footage shows two Northwest Regional police officers pointing Tasers at Ward, who is backing away from the officers before lifting his sweatshirt to reveal a handgun in his waistband.
Ward pulls the firearm from his waistband as one officer drops his Taser and draws his duty weapon. Ward points his handgun in the direction of both officers before the footage ends.
The district attorney’s office said one officer fired eight rounds toward Ward while the second officer deployed a Taser, which struck Ward in his left hand.
An officer attempted to perform lifesaving measures but Ward was declared dead at the scene.
An autopsy determined Ward was struck four to five times — in his left leg, the left side of his torso, his left hip and his right wrist.
Prior to the shooting, Ward displayed visible signs of intoxication including stumbling and impaired speech, according to the district attorney’s office. After police informed Ward he was under arrest, Ward repeatedly asked whether the officer “wants to [expletive] do this?” One officer attempted to deploy a Taser prior to Ward pulling the gun from his waistband, but the Taser malfunctioned.
“The law is clear that police officers have no duty to retreat from making an arrest,” District Attorney Heather Adams said in the statement. “In this case, the officer recognized that a deadly weapon had been introduced and acted quickly to protect their own life and the lives of two others and was therefore justified in their use of force.”
The handgun belonging to Ward was recovered from the scene and was loaded. An M4-style semi-automatic rifle loaded with a 30-round magazine, two additional loaded handguns and more than 1,000 rounds of ammunition were found in the front passenger compartment of the vehicle Ward had driven to the scene.
The district attorney’s office gave following account of the events leading to Ward’s arrival at the Northwest Regional Police station:
Ward had been arrested for driving under the influence hours prior to the shooting around 10 p.m. Nov. 2 . Ward’s blood-alcohol content was .229 at the time of his arrest.
Ward became uncooperative and resisted his initial arrest, causing officers to force him onto the ground. A pair of sunglasses owned by Ward were damaged during his arrest. Ward was processed and released to his spouse around 11 p.m.
Ward drove back to the station around 1:30 a.m. and called 911, informing dispatchers that he was outside the station and wanted to retrieve a missing part to his sunglasses.
One officer leaving the station encountered Ward and informed him that all his personal belongings had been returned to him. The officer told Ward he could be arrested again for DUI and attempted to deescalate the situation for more than eight minutes before the second officer involved arrived.
The district attorney’s office concluded Ward pointed his gun at both officers prior to the officer discharging their firearm.
“The actions of Ward clearly placed everyone present in danger of death or serious bodily injury and therefore the officer was legally justified to use deadly force,” Adams said in the statement.
The DA said the names of the officers involved will not be released as no crime has been committed.
Other police shootings
Ward’s death was the first fatal shooting by a Lancaster County police officer in 2024.
The last fatal shooting happened Dec. 28 when two U.S. Marshals shot Shane Kelek, 38, of Manor Township.
He had been charged with raping and beating a woman in Elizabethtown in December and marshals were tipped that he was in Elizabethtown, where he was shot. The shooting was ruled justified.
A man shot by city police in November died Jan. 3.
William O’Neill, 40, was shot by three officers after he fired a semiautomatic rifle at them Nov. 29 . Police were responding to a domestic disturbance call during which the caller said O’Neill was armed and had fired the rifle.
A Northern Lancaster Regional police officer shot and injured a Dauphin County man Aug. 27 after the man pulled what turned out to be a pellet gun when police responded to a robbery call at a Penn Township spa, according to authorities. Adams’ office ruled that shooting was also justified.
That man, Christopher Rivera , of Middletown, is awaiting trial on robbery, rape and other charges.
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