The streets of Wilmington witnessed increased police activity last month, culminating in the arrest of a suspect tied to a case of gunfire without casualties. On the night of Halloween, at 5:55 p.m., the Wilmington Police Department responded to a report of shots fired on the 2400 block of North Market Street; luckily, no individuals were struck during the incident, according to a release posted on Nixle, an official communication service for local government agencies.
The investigation, spearheaded by the department's Gun Intelligence Unit, eventually pointed to 19-year-old Kyon Harvey as a primary suspect. After obtaining the necessary arrest warrants, the officers initiated a traffic stop on November 10, on the 3100 block of North Market Street, during which Harvey, a passenger in the vehicle, attempted to resist arrest, successfully escaped from the officers for a brief moment before being apprehended – during the arrest, a loaded .40 caliber handgun was recovered by the police.
Harvey is now facing a slew of charges: four counts each of Possession of a Firearm or Ammunition by a Person Prohibited and Reckless Endangering First Degree, as well as individual counts of Possession of a Firearm During the Commission of a Felony, Carrying a Concealed Deadly Weapon, Possession of a Firearm with an Obliterated Serial Number, Discharging a Firearm on a City Street, Second Degree Assault, Resisting Arrest and Criminal Mischief Under $1,000. He's been arraigned and is currently housed at the Howard R. Young Correctional Institution on a $146,200 cash-only bail, as detailed in the Nixle report.
Wilmington's streak of gun-related incidents continues to highlight the challenges faced by law enforcement in keeping the city safe; this latest arrest underscores the proactive efforts being taken by the Police to curb firearm offenses, though the impact these arrests have on the community remains a subject of local concern. Following his court appearance, Kyon Harvey's case is set to proceed through the criminal justice system, his fate now lying in the balance of due process and the eventual communal reckoning with the means of violence that punctuate the ordinary lives of city dwellers.
