Suspect in fatal Delaware hospital shooting arrested in Philadelphia
by Darryl Coote · UPIJune 16 (UPI) -- Delaware authorities said Tuesday night that a suspect has been arrested in connection with a shooting inside a Wilmington hospital that left one person dead and another injured.
Little about the arrest has been made public. A statement from the Wilmington Police Department identified the suspect as a 23-year-old man who was taken into police custody in Philadelphia.
UPI has contacted the Philadelphia Police Department for comment.
"Charges and extradition to Delaware are pending," the Wilmington Police Department statement said.
A preliminary investigation has indicated the shooting was targeted, authorities said following the arrest.
The shooting erupted at about 3:30 p.m. EDT at ChristianaCare Wilmington Hospital, a 321-bed facility located in the heart of Delaware's most populous city. Officers arrived on the scene to find two people suffering from gunshot wounds. One person was pronounced dead, Wilmington Police Chief Wilfredo Campos told reporters during a press conference.
Authorities withheld the victims' identities and the condition of the surviving victim out of respect for their families, he said.
The hospital, a trauma center, was placed under lockdown, which has since been lifted. Hospital staff barricaded themselves in rooms across the facility as law enforcement cleared the building. The large police presence that had descended on the facility was being removed, according to the police chief.
Regardless of the motive, "there is never an excuse for violence and there is never an excuse for gun violence," he said.
Wilmington Mayor John Carney said violence and loss of life in the city were "unacceptable" and that the thoughts and prayers of his office were with the hospital employees "who I know experienced a terrible day today."
"It's particularly distressing when an incident like this occurs in a hospital whose fundamental purpose is to treat injuries and save lives," he said.
"If there's a place that should be a sanctuary from such violence, that is the place."
Delaware Gov. Matt Meyer, a Democrat, said the shooting hits "especially close to home." His wife, the state's first lady, Lauren Meyer, works as a physician there.
"We ask all Delawareans to keep everyone affected in their thoughts as we learn more about what happened and stay vigilant," he said.
Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., said he was monitoring reports of the shooting.
"I'm praying for everyone's safety, including patients, healthcare workers, first responders and law enforcement officers," he said in a social media statement.
According to The Gun Violence Archive, there have been more than 5,800 shooting-related deaths and nearly 10,600 shooting-related injuries in the United States so far this year.