The Wilmington Police Department has arrested a suspect in connection to the February 21, 2022, fatal shooting of 23-year-old Jermaine Meadows.
On that day at approximately 2:32 p.m., officers responded to the scene after receiving reports of a shooting. Upon arrival, they discovered Meadows suffering from gunshot wounds. The officers immediately rendered aid before he was transported to the hospital. Despite their best efforts and medical intervention, Meadows ultimately succumbed to his injuries.
The case was assigned to Detective Joseph Wicks of the Criminal Investigations Division. Through investigative work, Wicks was able to identify 25-year-old Lance Leatherbury as a suspect in the shooting police said Friday. Wicks culminated in the case being presented to the New Castle County Grand Jury on October 10, 2022, resulting in an indictment being returned for Leatherbury.
While the investigation was ongoing, on March 22, 2022, Leatherbury was apprehended in Pennsylvania on an unrelated matter and was already in custody when the Delaware indictment was returned police said.
The charges brought against Leatherbury include Murder in the First Degree, Possession of a Firearm During the Commission of a Felony (two counts), Possession of a Firearm by a Person Prohibited, Aggravated Menacing, and Conspiracy in the Second Degree.
After months of legal proceedings and the extradition processes, Leatherbury was extradited to Delaware on July 28, 2023, and arraigned in New Castle County Superior Court. During the hearing, he was committed to the Howard R. Young Correctional Institution on $1,000,000 cash-only bail.