25 Year Old Man Shot and Killed At Wilton Park In New Castle, DE

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A man was fatally shot Thursday at Wilton Park near New Castle and police are searching

for the gunman.

A woman called 911 at 6:35 p.m., saying her boyfriend had been shot twice in the park at

Wilton Boulevard and Appleby Road, emergency officials said.  Treated at the scene by

police and county paramedics, the 25-year-old victim was taken by Christiana Fire Com-

pany ambulance to Christiana Hospital, New Castle County police Cpl. John Weglarz Sr.

said. The man was admitted in critical condition but later died, Weglarz said.  Police re-

leased no other information about the incident.  Most of the park was cordoned off by

yellow tape as a canine team searched the scene and a state police helicopter circled over-

head. Police also searched at Community Plaza at Del. 273 and Appleby Road after learn-

ing the shooter had walked from the park toward the shopping center.  A witness told

The News Journal that he saw the aftermath of the shooting as he played at the tennis

courts with his 7-year-old son.  The victim, he said, came running along a curved, paved

path between the courts and a line of trees by Appleby Road.  “And the boy that shot him

was right behind him, walking,” said the man, who would not give his name. The assai-

lant had a gun, but put it away, “like this,” the witness said, shaping his hand like a gun,

sticking it into his waistband and covering it with his shirt.  He said the victim yelled,

“‘I ate it, I ate it. You didn’t get me’ … like he wasn’t shot.”  The two got about halfway

to the parking lot, by the tennis court where the witness and his son were, “then, he

[the victim] fell right there,” the man recalled, pointing to a trash barrel by the walk-

way, where medical debris lay under a tree. The shooter kept walking, he said.  The

witness said he called 911 as he tried to talk to his son.  “He saw the whole thing,” the

man said, “but … he’ll be OK.”  Lamont Gogins, visiting from New Jersey, said the

victim was his sister’s boyfriend, but he doesn’t know his name.  As she talked to

police, Gogins said he didn’t see the shooting. “It looked like something bad was going

to happen,” he said. “I took off running.”  Police with metal detectors searched near

the playground as neighbors looked on.  Some said they were upset and angry about

the shooting, because innocent people could have been killed.  “Our babies play here,”

one said.  “This is terrible,” said another. “This is a very family-oriented area.”

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