A 35-year-old man is in critical condition after “actively stabbing himself” and then being shot by a Wilmington police officer inside a Southbridge home Wednesday morning.
According to the Wilmington Police Department and police radio communications, officers responded to a home in the 600 block of S. Heald St. after receiving a 911 call a little before 8:45 a.m. that a man was suicidal.
When police arrived, they made their way to the second floor, according to radio communications, where they found the man. The department said he “refused verbal instructions to drop the knife and advanced towards a police officer,” which is when an officer shot at the man.
Radio communications said he was hit once in the groin.
Police began first aid and paramedics rushed him to the hospital. He’s being treated for the gunshot wound, as well as the self-inflicted stab wound, which police said is life-threatening.
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Police closed several streets in the area Wednesday morning as they investigated. Most of the area was reopened within 30 minutes.
The department announced the shooting hours after it happened, just before 1:15 p.m. Wednesday. The agency is conducting an internal review, and the Delaware Department of Justice is also investigating, police said.
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