An 18-year-old man was shot and killed on the sidewalk outside a CAVA restaurant along North DuPont Highway in Dover, Delaware, late Friday night, in a killing that has left police searching for a motive and a shooter. Foster Trader was struck by gunfire at approximately 9:45 p.m. and was pronounced dead at 10:04 p.m., police said.
Investigators say Trader suffered multiple gunshot wounds and was found on the sidewalk in front of the restaurant, according to CBS News Philadelphia. Police recovered multiple spent shell casings from the CAVA parking lot, but as of Saturday, they have not said what led to the shooting or released any description of a suspect.
A Brand-New Restaurant Becomes a Crime Scene
The CAVA location at 1037 North DuPont Highway had barely settled into the neighborhood before the shooting, having held its soft-opening community event on August 23, according to a listing on AllEvents. That means the fast-casual chain had been serving Dover diners for less than two weeks when a customer, or someone standing just outside its doors, was gunned down on its sidewalk.
The restaurant sits inside the North Dover Center strip mall, a high-traffic retail corridor along Route 13 directly across from Delaware State University that is also home to T.J. Maxx, Staples, Bob's Discount Furniture, and Hobby Lobby, per Times Now. The density of national retailers in the plaza has amplified public alarm over a fatal shooting happening in such a visible, well-trafficked commercial stretch of the city.
Investigators Still Piecing Together What Happened
The Dover Police Department has logged the case under Incident Number 50-26-31360, with Lt. Mark Hoffman and Detective Goad listed as the point contacts for anyone with information. The department's Criminal Investigations Unit is accepting tips related to the fatal shooting, though no arrests have been announced.
Anyone providing information through Delaware Crime Stoppers that leads to an arrest in a Delaware felony investigation is eligible for an anonymous cash reward of up to $5,000, according to WBOC. Police have not disclosed a vehicle description or any leads on a possible suspect as the investigation continues.
A City Wrestling With Rising Violence
The shooting lands amid a broader rise in violent crime that Dover has faced in recent years. The city recorded six homicides in 2024, up from two in 2023, while total annual shooting incidents held steady at 46 in both years, according to Dover Police Department figures reported by Delaware Public Media. The department, founded in 1925, marked its 100th anniversary this year with an annual report noting its emergency communications center fielded more than 93,000 calls for service citywide during 2025.
Firearms have also surfaced recently along the very corridor where Trader was killed. On August 14, Dover officers recovered a Romarm/Cugir Draco 7.62x39 pistol during a traffic stop on North DuPont Highway near Rustic Lane, less than two miles from the CAVA plaza, according to the Dover Police Department.
What Comes Next Legally
Should police identify and arrest a suspect, Delaware law leaves little room for leniency in a first-degree murder case. Under Delaware Code Title 11, § 4209, anyone convicted of first-degree murder for a crime committed after turning 18 faces a mandatory sentence of life imprisonment without the possibility of probation or parole. Delaware's death penalty is no longer on the table as a sentencing option; the state's General Assembly formally repealed capital punishment in 2024, eight years after the Delaware Supreme Court had already ruled it unconstitutional.
For now, the investigation into Foster Trader's death remains open, with detectives still working to determine a motive and identify whoever opened fire outside the Dover restaurant. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Dover Police Department's Criminal Investigations Unit.
