Two boys have been charged in connection with a Monday evening shooting that resulted in a 14-year-old child being wounded while in a Wilmington park.
Wilmington Police have not release the shooting victim’s medical condition, but said the boy was stable when taken to an area hospital.
The boy was in Wilmington’s Canby Park when he was shot about 6:45 p.m.
As first responders were loading the victim onto an ambulance, Wilmington Police’s Safe Streets Task Force were investigating the shooting.
It was during their investigation that task force members saw three teens – one 15-year-old and two 14-year-olds – leaving the scene. The boys were detained and police said investigators found a loaded .40-caliber handgun and ammunition.
Police said they determined the 15-year-old boy was the shooter and charged him with six crimes, including assault and two weapons offenses.
One of the 14-year-olds was charged with two gun crimes, while no charges were filed against the second 14-year-old boy who has been released, Wilmington Police said.
The two boys who were charged with crimes have been committed to the New Castle County Detention Center after failing to post their cash bail.
The boy’s shooting capped three three days of gun violence in Wilmington that left five people injured: three people were shot on Sunday, one on Saturday.
Sunday’s shooting included two 17-year-old boys and a 22-year-old man who was in critical condition. Saturday’s shooting left a 43-year-old man in critical condition.
Sunday’s shooting:3 shot in Wilmington Sunday night, leaves a man in critical condition and 2 teens wounded
The number of people shot in Delaware’s largest city has been inching up after months of low gun violence. Sixteen people were injured by gunfire last month in Wilmington – that was the most people shot in the city in one month since September 2021 when 17 people were shot in that month.
Despite the recent increase in shootings, fewer people have been wounded by gunfire in Wilmington so far this year when compared to last year at the same time.
There have been 48 people shot, seven fatally, so far this year in Wilmington. Last year, which tallied a record number of homicides, saw 59 people shot, 13 of them fatally as of June 6.
Delaware Online’s shooting database:Tracking gun violence in Delaware
Anyone with information about Monday’s shooting should contact Detective Michael Hayman at (302) 576-3963.
Contact Esteban Parra at (302) 324-2299, eparra@delawareonline.com or Twitter @eparra3.
