Two Charged With Murder in Shooting After Delaware State Homecoming

Dover police announced on Wednesday night that two people have been arrested and charged with murder in the shooting that killed a Philadelphia man and wounded another man in a shopping center parking lot across from Delaware State University, hours after the school's homecoming events ended on Oct. 10.

The shooting happened at about 9:19 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 10, in the parking lot of the Dover Commons shopping center, in the 1200 block of North DuPont Highway. Officers working crowd control nearby heard gunshots and saw people running from the lot. They found a 21-year-old man shot in the upper body and, while helping him, found a second victim, Nasir Cox, 22, of Philadelphia.

Officers drove both victims to the hospital

More than 50 officers from the Dover, New Castle County, Wilmington, Smyrna and Camden police departments and the Delaware State Police were already in the area that night, managing crowds after attendees were told to leave campus at about 6 p.m. Police said the Route 13 corridor was gridlocked with cars and pedestrians, so officers put both victims in police vehicles and drove them to Bayhealth Kent Campus. Cox died of his injuries. The 21-year-old man remains hospitalized in stable condition. Neither victim was a Delaware State student, the university has said.

A handgun, a first arrest, then a second in Maryland

Detectives identified a 22-year-old Dover man as one of the shooters. On Oct. 16, members of the Dover police Special Operations Response Team, its drug and organized crime unit and its Criminal Investigations Unit, helped by the U.S. Marshals Service First State Fugitive Task Force and the Delaware State Police, arrested him at a home in the 500 block of Crawford Avenue. He came out of the house after officers announced themselves and was taken into custody without incident. A search of the home found a 9mm handgun, ammunition, and clothing and accessories that police said matched items worn during the shooting.

The investigation then led to a 17-year-old boy. He was arrested on Oct. 21 at a home in Snow Hill, Maryland, also without incident, and remains in Maryland while he awaits extradition to Delaware.

Both suspects are charged with first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, and several counts of reckless endangerment and weapons offenses. Police did not release their names. A new Delaware law, House Bill 59, took effect on Oct. 21 and limits when police can release the names and photographs of people charged with crimes.

Dover Police Chief Thomas Johnson Jr. praised the officers and partner agencies for the work he said was required to bring a complex and challenging case to this stage. Delaware State President Tony Allen addressed the campus on Oct. 12, two days after the shooting, and said the university would grieve with its city.

The investigation is still open. Police ask anyone with information, photos or video from that night to call the Dover Police Criminal Investigations Unit at 302-736-7111 or contact Delaware Crime Stoppers. Tipsters may stay anonymous.