A 37-year-old man was shot by Dover police Sunday night after firing a gun “in the presence of police,” the department said.
The shooting, which police called a “rapidly evolving incident,” occurred about 8:40 p.m., after officers were dispatched to a trespassing complaint in the 400 block of Sussex Avenue. Police were told a woman was refusing to leave a home.
On scene, responding officers “observed a disturbance between an adult female and an adult male, in the middle of the block, in proximity to the dispatched address,” a department news release said. The man had a handgun, police said, and shot it.
The department did not say where he was pointing it.
As the chaotic scene unfolded, police shot the man “in response to an imminent threat to life,” Dover police said. After securing the man, officers began first aid and he was taken to the Bayhealth Hospital Kent Campus in serious condition.
As of Monday morning, he was still alive.
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Police said a handgun was found on the ground “directly” next to where the man was standing.
The officer who shot the man has been with Dover police for 2 ½ years and is a member of the patrol division, the department said. As with all police shootings, he’s been placed on administrative leave with pay, pending the outcome of the investigation.
Dover police are investigating internally while the Delaware Department of Justice’s Division of Civil Rights and Public Trust is also investigating.
The department said it will provide more details as they’re available.
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