New Castle County Division of Police has made an arrest in the shooting death of a boy in Wilton.
On Friday, February 10, 2023, at 5:58 p.m. county officers along with officers from surrounding jurisdictions responded to the unit block of Deen Street in Hampton Green Townhouses in New Castle in reference to a shooting.
Upon arrival, officers located a 15-year-old male victim inside a residence who had sustained a gunshot wound to his upper body and died as a result of his injuries.
While additional officers were arriving, a suspect was observed running from the scene. Officers chased after the suspect and took him into custody after a brief pursuit. The suspect was identified as a 16-year-old male.
Multiple witnesses were contacted, and it was learned that the suspect, victim and other individuals were inside the residence when the suspect pulled out a handgun and began pointing it at people according to police. The suspect then fired the gun one time striking the victim added police.
After further investigation, detectives charged the 16-year-old suspect with one count of manslaughter, one count of possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, and one count of possession of a firearm by a person under 21. The suspect was arraigned by the Justice of the Peace Court 11 and held at the New Castle County Detention Center on $130,000.00 cash bail.
“My heart goes out to the victim’s family and everyone else involved in this senseless incident,” stated Colonel Joseph Bloch, Chief of Police. “Guns are glorified by so many of our young teens and it is all too often that they end up in the hands of our youth leading to tragedies like this.”