Troopers patrolling near Stanton Christiana Road and Ogletown Stanton Road heard gunfire at about 4:30 a.m. Sunday, then found a vehicle riddled with bullet holes parked at a nearby business. No one was injured, but investigators believe the shooter tailed the victim's car for several miles before opening fire and driving off.
According to NBC10 Philadelphia, police have not released a description of the suspect or the suspect's vehicle. The shooting happened in an unincorporated stretch of New Castle County outside Newark's city limits, which means the case falls to Delaware State Police Troop 2 rather than Newark City Police, since the troop holds primary jurisdiction over the Stanton-Christiana area's major commercial and traffic corridors, per the Delaware State Police.
The Delaware State Police Criminal Investigations Unit has taken over the investigation, with Detective B. Timmons assigned as lead investigator. Anyone with information is asked to call Timmons at (302) 365-8434 or submit a tip anonymously through Delaware Crime Stoppers at 1-800-847-3333, or online at delawarecrimestoppers.com. Victims and witnesses can also reach the state police's 24-hour Victim Services Unit hotline at 1-800-VICTIM-1.
A Heavily Traveled Corridor With a History of Gunfire
The intersection where the shots rang out sits along a stretch that links drivers to Christiana Hospital, Delaware Technical Community College, and Interstate 95. Stanton Christiana Road and Ogletown Stanton Road, known respectively as Delaware Routes 7 and 4, serve as primary arterial connections between Newark and Wilmington, making the area one of the busiest transit junctions in New Castle County, according to information compiled by East Coast Roads.
It's not the first time gunfire has erupted on this exact stretch of roadway. On January 1, 2021, Troop 2 investigated a nearly identical scenario on Stanton Christiana Road, when suspects opened fire on a car driving away from a local property, striking the vehicle multiple times and wounding the driver, who then fled to a nearby business for help, per state police records.
Part of a Busy Year for Troop 2
Sunday's shooting adds to a string of gun violence investigations Troop 2 has handled around Newark this year. On June 29, detectives responded to a roadway shooting near Otts Chapel Road and Elkton Road, recovering multiple spent shell casings before determining the gunfire happened along the open road before suspects fled. Weeks later, on July 18, Troop 2 opened an investigation into a shooting at a Newark Waffle House on Pulaski Highway that left four people injured after gunfire was sprayed into the parking lot; all four victims survived after hospital treatment.
Crime patterns can be considered at both the statewide and county levels.
Investigation Continues
Delaware State Police are investigating the shooting.
For now, investigators have not released a description of the shooter or the vehicle involved, and the motive behind the pursuit remains unclear. Anyone who may have witnessed the chase or the shooting is urged to come forward through the tip lines listed by the Delaware State Police.
