Man wounded in Dover shooting
DOVER – North Kirkwood Street neighbors say they heard the sound of about five or six gunshots Wednesday morning, roughly a half-block away from where gunfire erupted Sunday afternoon at a community park on South Kirkwood Street, killing one man.
Dover officers and state troopers spent about 90 minutes searching for the gunman seen running from the shooting scene about 10 a.m. Wednesday in the vicinity of North Kirkwood and West Division streets.
Wesley College and other schools decided to go on lockdown as a precaution, police said.
"I was watching television with my kids and heard five or six shots," said a neighbor who identified herself only as Ashley. She and others declined to give their last names for fear of retaliation.
The victim's sister told a News Journal reporter that her brother was returning from a job interview at McDonald's along Forrest Avenue about a mile and a half away when a male walked up to him and started firing, wounding her brother in the foot.
"Someone asked him what his name was. He told them ... and they shot him," she said. "We don't even know why."
The victim was taken by ambulance to Bayhealth Kent General Hospital. His condition was described by police as non-life-threatening.
A gunman seen fleeing is described as having a light-colored mustache and was dressed in a two-tone brown sweatshirt and blue jeans, Cpl. Mark Hoffman said.
State police Master Cpl. Gary Fournier said his agency's K-9 units and a helicopter were called in to assist with the search.
Dover attorney Stephen Hampton, who has an office nearby on North Bradford Street, said, "We are told to stay in the office and Wesley is 'locked down,' helicopters are circling."
Officers cordoned off a small field between houses along North Kirkwood Street and used a metal detector searching for evidence.
Dover Mayor Robin R. Christiansen and Police Chief Paul M. Bernat are expected to hold a joint news conference at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday in City Hall to discuss proactive measures would be taken by the city to maintain a safe community after the spate of violence over the past week that saw two people killed and now two wounded by gunfire.
Wednesday morning's shooting is the third incident in four days.
On Sunday afternoon, Yusif Lamb, 33, of New Jersey, was fatally shot in the chest about a half-block away from the scene of Wednesday's shooting.
An investigation later determined that the killing stemmed from a confrontation when Lamb and a group of people confronted 32-year-old Shamarr Willingham over a dispute they were having over a woman.
Charges were later dropped against Willingham, who investigators say acted in self-defense.
Neighbors and family members of Wednesday's shooting victim said he lived adjacent to the park and had grabbed kids from the playground and led them safely inside his home when the shooting erupted Sunday.
"That's karma working in the opposite direction," said Ashley, a neighbor.
Two people were killed Sunday – including Lamb and a 24-year-old New Castle man early in the morning who was exiting a late-night house party at a duplex along Simon Circle. And, a 25-year-old Dover woman, also leaving the party, who was seriously wounded but expected to recover from her injuries.
Police asked anyone with information on the shooting to call (302) 736-7111.
Tips also may be submitted anonymously through Delaware Crime Stoppers, which offers rewards, at (800) TIP-3333 or www.tipsubmit.com.
Staff reporter Sean O'Sullivan contributed to this story.
Contact Terri Sanginiti at (302) 324-2771 or tsanginiti@delawareonline.com