Wilmington Police have made arrests in connection with a 2019 cold case homicide, a shooting incident, and a shots fired incident following a years-long investigation. Authorities announced that two men, identified as 22-year-old Dion Young and 22-year-old Ameer Dunn, have been charged in connection with these cases, which occurred in December 2019. The investigation was led by the Wilmington Police Cold Case Unit, which included Cold Case Investigator Steven Rizzo and Detective Devon Jones.
The incidents began on December 28, 2019, when officers responded to the 1300 block of East 29th Street for reports of a shooting. Upon arrival, police discovered 67-year-old James Pinkett suffering from gunshot wounds. Pinkett later succumbed to his injuries. The case was initially assigned to Detective Mackenzie Kirlin of the Criminal Investigations Division, and the search for those responsible remained active for years.
Further investigative efforts linked Young to two additional incidents in the days leading up to Pinkett’s murder according to police. On December 24, 2019, at approximately 7:44 p.m., officers responded to the 500 block of New Castle Avenue for a shooting, where a 20-year-old male victim was found and transported to the hospital in stable condition. Two days later, on December 26, 2019, at approximately 8:41 p.m., officers were dispatched to the 500 block of East 9th Street for a shots fired incident. No injuries were reported in that case. Detective Brendan Wham was assigned to investigate both incidents.
In December of last year the cases were presented to the New Castle County Grand Jury. The jury returned an indictment against both Young and Dunn, formally charging them in connection with the crimes. Young was already in custody at the Howard R. Young Correctional Institution on an unrelated matter. Dunn was located in Houston, Texas, where he was taken into custody and later extradited to Delaware on January 23, 2025.
As a result of the indictment, Young faces multiple charges, including first-degree murder, six counts of first-degree attempted murder, eleven counts of possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, and additional charges related to conspiracy, reckless endangering, and weapons offenses. He was arraigned in New Castle County Superior Court and remains committed to the Howard R. Young Correctional Institution on a $1,500,000 cash-only bail.
Dunn has also been charged with first-degree murder, three counts of first-degree attempted murder, seven counts of possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, and several related conspiracy and weapons offenses. He was arraigned in Justice of the Peace Court 11 and was also committed to the Howard R. Young Correctional Institution on a $866,000 cash-only bail.
Authorities credited the persistence of the Cold Case Unit in bringing charges in the nearly five-year-old case.