A member of the U.S. Marshals Service was shot and killed early Thursday in Harrisburg, Pa. while serving a warrant. Two other officers were also shot, including a police officer. Officials say there is no danger to the public. (Jan. 18) AP
A 45-year-old federal marshal was fatally shot early Thursday in Pennsylvania while pursuing a fugitive accused of making terroristic threats, federal officials said.
Deputy U.S. Marshal Christopher Hill, who was assisting local police, was shot inside a Harrisburg, Penn., home by an apparent associate of suspect Shayla Lynette Towles Pierce.
Two other local officers were wounded in an exchange of gunfire that also left the unidentified male shooter dead. Pierce was ultimately arrested.
Federal authorities said Hill was fired on shortly after officers entered the home around 6:30 a.m. He was transported to Harrisburg's University of Pittsburgh Medical Center where he later died.
"We are all extremely saddened by the tragic death of our brother...this morning," said David Anderson, acting deputy director of the U.S. Marshals Service. "He was a devoted public servant who dedicated his life to making his community and this nation safer. We will never forget his commitment and courage. The nation lost a hero today."
Attorney General Jeff Sessions described Hill's murder as "senseless."
"Our hearts are broken," the attorney general said. "Every day, deputy U.S. marshals make the people of this country safer by catching fugitives on the run, protecting our courthouses, our judges, and witnesses at trial. They achieve these critical accomplishments at often heroic risk."
Hill joined the service in 2006 in Washington and was transferred to Harrisburg in 2009. An Army veteran, he is survived by a wife and two children.
More than 200 members of the service have lost their lives in the line of duty since 1794.
Hill's death comes just more than a year after Deputy Commander Patrick Carothers, 53, also was fatally shot in Georgia while pursuing a fugitive wanted for the attempted murders of police officers.