Dover Police have arrested two men in connection with an October 10 shooting that killed a Philadelphia man and injured another man in the Dover Commons shopping center parking lot.
The department did not release the suspects’ names or mugshots, citing Delaware’s House Bill 59, which took effect October 21. According to the department’s notice, the law limits the release of names and photographs of adults charged with crimes to cases involving felony charges when disclosure is necessary to protect public safety.
House Bill 59 was sponsored by Rep. Lynn, with Sen. Hoffner as an additional sponsor. Co-sponsors included Reps. Lambert, Morrison, Phillips, Snyder-Hall, Romer, Gorman and Harris, all pictured below.
The suspects, a 22-year-old Dover man and an 18-year-old man, each face charges of first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, three counts of possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, four counts of first-degree reckless endangering and carrying a concealed deadly weapon.
On October 16, at approximately 1:10 p.m., Dover Police, assisted by the U.S. Marshals Service and Delaware State Police, responded to a residence in the 500 block of Crawford Avenue to arrest the 22-year-old. Police said he exited after officers announced their presence and was taken into custody without incident.
Investigators searching the residence recovered a 9mm handgun, ammunition, and clothing and accessories matching those worn during the shooting, according to police.
The second suspect was located October 21 at a residence in Snow Hill, Maryland, by members of the U.S. Marshals Service Capital Area Regional Fugitive Task Force–Salisbury. He was arrested without incident and is being held in Maryland pending extradition to Delaware.
The shooting occurred at approximately 9:19 p.m. in the shopping center parking lot in the 1200 block of North DuPont Highway. Officers managing crowds nearby heard gunshots and saw people running. They located a 21-year-old man with a gunshot wound to his upper body and then found Nasir Cox, 22, of Philadelphia, who also had been shot.
Police said gridlocked vehicle and pedestrian traffic along Route 13 would have delayed emergency medical response. Officers transported both victims to Bayhealth Kent Campus in police vehicles. Cox died from his injuries. Police previously reported that the other victim was hospitalized in stable condition.
Large crowds had gathered at nearby shopping centers after Delaware State University homecoming attendees were required to leave campus at approximately 6 p.m., according to police. More than 50 officers from several departments were already working in the area, managing crowds and responding to fights, disorderly behavior and reports of gunfire at multiple locations.