More than three weeks after four people, including two students, were shot on Delaware State University’s campus in Dover, university police have released little information, despite a promise by DSU President Tony Allen to provide “candid responses within a timely fashion.”
The university issued a brief update about the shooting, which occurred outside the school’s Wellness and Recreation Center, several days after the incident. It said one of the students who was injured had been treated and released the same day, while the second student was “treated and released with non-life-threatening injuries.”
A third victim, one of the non-students, was also treated and released, according to the Sept. 6 statement, and the fourth victim remained in the hospital in serious condition.
BACKGROUND:2 students injured in Delaware State campus shooting Saturday morning
Beyond this, the university hasn’t provided any public updates. And while a banner on the top of the school’s website directs site users to a webpage with “incident updates,” that page only refers to the shooting as “the September 3, 2022 incident.”
School officials have also been cagey when responding to questions.
When contacted on Monday for an update on the investigation and the condition of those shot, university Police Chief Bobby Cummings, a former chief of police for Wilmington, replied only that the victims were “stable.”
EARLIER REPORTING:Delaware State University clarifies 4 were shot Saturday on campus, including 2 students
A day later, following an attempt to clarify who remained in the hospital, Cummings said the two students had been released from the hospital and had returned to class. He did not answer several other questions about the non-student victims.
The motive for the shooting also remains unclear.
Initially, a DSU emergency alert said the shooting was a robbery attempt, and Delaware Online/The News Journal previously reported that the parent of a DSU student said one student who was shot had his shoes stolen. The parent was also told that shots were fired into a crowd of students.
CRIME: Family of man attacked in brutal Wilmington robbery speaks out
But on Monday, Cummings said the reason for the shooting had not been determined, detectives are still developing leads and the investigation remains active.
The lack of information is frustrating parents, one of whom said the university is “trying to Band-Aid” the incident.
“Parents are very concerned about several things dealing with this university but no one will take accountability about things happening,” the parent wrote in a Facebook message.
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She said communication with school officials is “null and void” and calls and emails go unanswered. At one point, members of an online DSU parents group debated driving to campus to demand answers in person.
The mother of one of the non-students shot said she didn’t understand why the university initially only gave statements about the students rather than all four victims. She said it “seems like DSU has some explaining to do as to why they are omitting the other two victims and their families impacted by a crime that occurred on their campus.”
University spokespeople have repeatedly dodged questions posed by parents and reporters. They still will not release the ages and genders of the victims or confirm the circumstances of the shooting beyond the date and time.
Reporter Isabel Hughes contributed to this story.
Send story tips or ideas to Hannah Edelman at hedelman@delawareonline.com. For more reporting, follow them on Twitter at @h_edelman.
