72-Year-Old Charged In 4th of July Fatal Shooting

Wilmington Police have arrested a man in connection to a July 4 fatal shooting incident.

Officials said on July 4, at approximately 1:07 a.m., members of the Uniformed Services Division responded to the 900 block of North Lombard Street, in reference to a shooting incident. Upon arrival, police located a gunshot victim – 49-year-old Kevin Harris, who succumbed to his injuries.

Police said they took 72-year-old Bernard Stewart into custody without incident on firearms-related charges on July 4th, a detail they did not mention at the time.

The case was assigned to Detective Justin Kane of the Criminal Investigations Division. Through the course of his investigation, Detective Kane identified Stewart as a suspect in the fatal shooting incident and obtained warrants for his arrest.  Stewart is currently committed to the Howard R. Young Correctional Institution and was arraigned on additional charges on July 10.

Stewart has been charged with the following offenses:

  • Murder (First Degree)
  • Possession of a Deadly Weapon During the Commission of a Felony
  • Possession of a Firearm by a Person Prohibited – Two Counts

He was arraigned in the New Castle County Court of Common Pleas and remains committed to the Howard R. Young Correctional Institution on $1,020,000 cash-only bail.