WILMINGTON — In the span of just over two weeks, the Wilmington Police Department has responded to over 25 shootings in town.
Remarkably, no one has died as a result of the recent spree, though several people have been treated for gunshot wounds.
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Some of the shootings appear to be gang-related, with five out of the eight recent arrested individuals in connection with the shootings being identified as validated gang members.
(Editor’s note: The majority of the suspects were arrested based on eye-witness identification, except Teon Robinson and Kenneth Holmes; police received a description of a vehicle involved in a shooting and later stopped Robinson and Holmes, both validated gang members, in a vehicle matching that description. A search of the vehicle produced drugs and firearms.)
Most of the shots fired have been in Wilmington’s inner-city, according to Wilmington Police Department (WPD) spokesperson, Linda Thompson. As of Monday, Nov. 20, none of the shootings concentrated near Castle Street, Meares Street, and the Creekwood community had resulted in injuries.
This week, WPD identified six gunshot wound victims related to the recent shootings, with one individual in critical condition.
While some of the incidents are believed to be isolated, several are connected, a recent WPD release states. Several of the recent arrests occurred based on information obtained by witnesses, arrest narratives show. The WPD is urging the public and anyone with information on the recent shootings to contact the department at 910-343-3609.
Information can also be supplied anonymously through WPD’s Text-a-Tip program, by texting TIP708 and the message to CRIMES (274637).
