Gunfire broke out during a carjacking near Route 141 in Newport early Friday, setting off a lengthy car chase that ended with more shots exchanged near I-95 and Route 896 in Newark, police said.
The suspect was killed during the incident, according to police. The activity clogged numerous roadways in the area for several hours, including I-95.
According to Delaware State Police, the incident began in the 100 block of Ayre St. in Newport around 7:30 a.m. when officers were dispatched to a report of a person with a gun. When arriving troopers made contact with the man, he ran.
He was confronted by police nearby and shots were exchanged, video shows.
School bus hit with gunfire
During the shootout, a school bus carrying Delcastle Technical High School students was hit, according to New Castle County Vocational Technical School District.
No students or the driver were injured, but the bus was struck by three bullets, including one that entered the vehicle and hit the armrest next to the driver.
The district said the driver was taking her normal route to school through Newport when she encountered the “criminal activity.” Video from the area shows police with guns drawn chasing a person next to the bus. Several gunshots can be heard soon after, and the bus moves slightly.
Neither the students nor the bus were targeted, the district said, and the driver pulled over and called her supervisor. Delcastle Technical High School counselors are assisting students who were on the bus.
It’s not known whether the bullets that hit the bus came from police or the suspect.
Chase goes onto Route 141, Route 4
Following the bus shooting, the suspect ran onto Route 141 and Route 4, where he was able to carjack a vehicle and flee the area, police said. That lead to a chase in the New Castle and Newark area that ended on Old Cooch’s Bridge Road behind Newark’s Red Roof Inn.
Police said that’s where the man drove down a cul-de-sac near the Sobieski warehouse, got out of the car and fled onto I-95 south.
There, he was able to carjack another vehicle, though police did not say where exactly on the interstate that happened.
With police in chase, more shots were fired as the man fled south on I-95 to an area just south of Route 896. Additional shots were fired there.
Police ultimately found the suspect dead in that area, though police did not say whether his wounds came from officers or were self-inflicted.
Local pastor witnesses Newport incident
The Rev. Greg Vickers, pastor of Peniel United Methodist Church in Newport, heard the gunshots that sparked the several-mile chase as he was getting his dogs ready for their morning walk.
His home is next to the church, which is caddy-corner to the Route 141 off-ramp near where the carjacking occurred.
“I heard maybe four, five, maybe six shots, looked outside quickly and saw two Delaware troopers get in a car quickly, make a U-turn and head west,” he said.
There were seven evidence markers Friday afternoon in the driveway of the Newport Masonic Hall, located across from the church on East Market Street. State troopers were stationed in cars nearby, shooing any passersby onto the sidewalk, which was not cordoned off.
About 200 feet away on the Route 141 off-ramp, seven more evidence markers dotted the roadway, which was blocked by police vehicles and caution tape as investigators worked.
Vickers said he did not believe his church or home were struck by any of the bullets.
Nearby, at the Exxon gas station located near the ramp, an employee said she heard the gunshots, looked out the window and saw the commotion. She later heard more details on the news about what happened.
“He wanted a death wish and he got it,” she said, declining to give her name due to fear.
Vickers decided the church would stay on schedule and open the church’s soup kitchen Friday morning, even with the exit ramp closed and an ongoing police investigation at their front door.
“We are here to serve the community and will continue to share God’s outreach no matter what it takes,” he said after going outside to offer meals, coffee or the warmth of the church to police as they worked.
Road blockages snarl traffic near Newark Friday morning
The chase and shooting caused major traffic headaches Friday, with a number of roads still shut down into the afternoon hours.
Emergency services radio communications indicate paramedics were called to the southbound side of the interstate at South College Avenue (Route 896) shortly after 8 a.m., and state police said in a news release shortly after that the interstate would be “shut down for an extended period.”
That road closure there appeared to be caused by on-scene police investigators and medical personnel.
Around 11:30 a.m., a helicopter hovered near Route 896, and the exit there was backed up. Traffic from Route 896 was getting pushed further back onto South College Avenue and cars were using the emergency lane to bypass the standstill traffic heading away from the University of Delaware.
A number of other roads around Newark were shut down as a result of the chase and shooting Friday morning, with traffic backing up to the Maryland state line.
Bear construction worker Curtis Reed, who was in the area on Friday, said he was surprised by how much of an impact the road closures had.
“The first thing that went through my mind was ‘you don’t realize how much I-95 is used,'” he said.
This is a developing story. Return to delawareonline.com for updates.
Reporter Krys’tal Griffin contributed to this report.
Got a story tip or idea? Send to Isabel Hughes at ihughes@delawareonline.com. For all things breaking news, follow her on Twitter at @izzihughes_
