A 32-year-old man died after being shot multiple times in the unit block of South Cleveland Avenue in Wilmington's Colonial Heights neighborhood, and police say the two had been involved in a traffic dispute weeks earlier. Hector Sanchez, 31, of Wilmington, is now charged with first-degree murder in the death of Donald Nave, who was pronounced deceased after emergency medical services attempted life-saving measures at the scene.
According to a news release from the New Castle County Police Department News, officers responded Sunday to a report of a shooting in the unit block of South Cleveland Avenue. Nave suffered multiple gunshot wounds and was transported to a local hospital, where he was later pronounced dead. Division Criminal Investigations Unit detectives assumed the investigation, which quickly turned toward Sanchez as a possible suspect.
Traffic Dispute Preceded Fatal Shooting
Detectives determined that Sanchez and Nave had been involved in a traffic-related altercation the previous month, in August, though the department has not released further details about what happened during that earlier encounter. That connection, along with evidence detectives recovered linking Sanchez to the shooting, helped investigators identify him as a possible suspect within hours of the killing.
Detectives used automated license plate reader technology to identify the license plate number of a Chevrolet Sonic believed to be the suspect vehicle, which was registered to Sanchez. The vehicle was later located in the 800 block of Market Street in Wilmington, according to the same account from county police. The rapid identification illustrates how quickly the department's camera network can tie a vehicle to a crime scene once a plate number is entered into the system.
Search Warrant Executed at Sanchez's Home
With a suspect vehicle identified, detectives obtained a search warrant for Sanchez's residence and executed it Sunday in Wilmington. The New Castle County Police Crisis Management Group assisted detectives in carrying out the warrant, according to the police release. Detectives took Sanchez into custody at the residence and say they recovered additional evidence connecting him to the investigation.
Sanchez was arraigned in Justice of the Peace Court 11, the county's 24-hour criminal court located at 2 Penns Way in New Castle that handles initial appearances and bail determinations, according to Delaware Courts. He was charged with one felony count of murder in the first degree and one felony count of possession of a deadly weapon during the commission of a felony, and was held in lieu of $1 million cash bail. He has since been committed to the Howard R. Young Correctional Institution, a Wilmington facility with a 1,500-inmate population that houses male inmates, as described by Wikipedia.
Steep Penalties Under Delaware Law
The charges Sanchez faces carry severe statutory consequences. Under Delaware law, first-degree murder is a Class A felony that mandates life imprisonment without the possibility of parole for adult offenders, a penalty that followed the Delaware General Assembly's abolition of the death penalty in September 2024 and the governor's signing of House Bill 70, according to FindLaw. The weapons charge, a Class B felony, carries a separate sentence of two to 25 years at Level V incarceration that by law cannot be served concurrently with any sentence for the underlying murder charge.
The case highlights the role automated license plate readers can play in investigations. WHYY has reported on automated license plate readers in Delaware.
Detectives Seek Additional Information
Detectives are asking anyone with additional information about the case to contact Detective Bruhn at 302-395-8120 or by email at [email protected]. Those wishing to remain anonymous can also reach the New Castle County Division of Police non-emergency line at 302-573-2800.
The shooting followed a traffic-related altercation between Sanchez and Nave, according to police. Hoodline has also reported on a parking lot dispute in Claymont that ended with knives, a gun seizure, and an arrest.
