On Saturday, October 11, 2025, at approximately 9:41 p.m., Patrol Officers from the New Castle County Division of Police responded to the unit block of Westmont Avenue in the community of Silview for a report of a female injured in a shooting.
Officials said upon arrival, Officers learned that a 16-year-old female had been transported to a local hospital after being struck in the abdomen with projectiles fired from an unknown rifle-style firearm while visiting friends at the residence. Officers contacted the victim at the hospital, where she was treated and released for non-life-threatening injuries.
The suspect, identified as 19-year-old Jaiden Jester of Wilmington, was located at the residence, taken into custody, and transported to New Castle County Police Headquarters.
A few hours later, Officers received a separate report of stolen firearms from a residence in the 4600 block of Patrician Boulevard, police said. The homeowner reported that a shotgun and two .22-caliber rifles had been taken several weeks earlier, and that Jester was believed to be involved, according to police.
Officials said Detectives from the Criminal Investigations Unit responded and assumed the investigation. A search warrant was executed at the Westmont Avenue residence, and all three firearms, along with various types of ammunition, were recovered.
Through the course of the investigation, Detectives determined that the 16-year-old victim had been struck by a canister-type round discharged from a .22-caliber rifle. Detectives also said they learned that a second victim, a 15-year-old male from Wilmington, had also been shot by Jester using a blank round during a separate incident on October 1, 2025, at the Westmont Avenue residence. Although Jester utilized a blank round, it still caused injury to the 15-year-old, police said.
The two shootings, as well as the theft of the firearms, remain under investigation, and additional charges may be pending officials said Friday.
Jaiden Jester has been charged with Assault in the First Degree, Assault in the Second Degree, 2 Counts of Possession of a Firearm During the Commission of a Felony, and 3 Counts of Theft of a Firearm.
Jester was arraigned in Justice of the Peace Court 11 and committed to the Howard R. Young Correctional Institution on $69,500 cash bail.
