Three police officers from Wilmington, Delaware were injured by gunshots on Wednesday night in a shooting incident; after they responded to a call made from the 2400 block at North Market Street.
According to the press release by the police; all three police officers were taken to a nearby hospital and are in stable condition. The Delaware shooting incident made the community fear for their safety.
A large number of police officers were seen at the North Market Street down between 26th street and Concord Avenue till late at night. The police were constantly announcing that the residents of areas between 27th and 23rd Street, and West Street to Carter Street should remain confined in their homes or seek shelter somewhere until further notice.
Different units of law enforcement agencies including SWAT teams were present at the crime scene till the wee hours of Thursday wearing tactical gear and carrying rifles. Police donning the tactical gear were seen coming in and out of the King Plaza apartment complex but no suspect emerged from the building.
The Wilmington Police Department has not issued a statement about what happened at the crime scene. Many city blocks in the area remained closed till 4 am in the morning restricting any kind of public movement in the area.
Speculations were making rounds on social media that an alleged suspect had barricaded himself inside one of the apartments of King Plaza, but nobody was arrested till late at night.
The officers shot in the Delaware shooting incident are the first officers who have been shot in the line of duty since a 38-year old Milford officer was shot on December 10th near Rehoboth serving for the US Marshal Violent Fugitive Task Force, in an effort to apprehend a murder suspect fleeing to Pennsylvania.
Another police officer, Keith Heacock, who was serving at Delmar was assaulted and killed after responding to an emergency call.
Another Wilmington officer was brutally shot in the face in 2013 when an SUV was fleeing from a crime scene. Justin Wilkers was shot 3 times directly in the face as he tried to follow the fleeing SUV and its passengers.
A human rights activist from Wilmington, Pastor D. Johnson, condemned the brutal episode of the Delaware shooting and stated that there is no excuse to open fire on the law enforcement officials. He also condemned the rising shooting incidents across the USA.
