The Delaware State Police have arrested 26-year-old Tyja Best of Ellendale, Delaware, for murder following a homicide that occurred Saturday night in Ellendale.
Officials said on June 1, 2024, at approximately 10:47 p.m., troopers were called to a residence on the 13000 block of South Old State Road in Ellendale for a report of a shooting. When troopers arrived, they found 27-year-old Brian Halliday, with a gunshot wound to the chest in the front yard and began life-saving efforts. He was taken to an area hospital where he was pronounced dead.
The preliminary investigation revealed that during an altercation between the victim and a female, the female produced a gun and shot him in the chest. The suspect fled the scene in an unknown direction. Through investigative means, the Delaware State Police Homicide Unit identified Tyja Best as the suspect, and on June 4, 2024, Delaware State Police Detectives and Special Operations Response Team took Best into custody without incident according to police.
Best was taken to Troop 5 where she was charged with the crimes listed below, arraigned by Justice of the Peace Court 3, and committed to Sussex Correctional Institution on $1,060,000 cash bond.
- Murder 1st Degree (Felony)
- Possession of a Deadly Weapon During the Commission of a Felony (Felony)
- Possession of a Firearm by a Person Prohibited (Felony)