Incident involving police chase, carjackings, and gunfire ends with suspect dead on I-95 in Delaware
NEWARK, Delaware (WPVI) -- A suspect is dead after a chaotic series of events on Friday morning in Delaware that included two carjackings and an officer-involved shooting.
It all ended on Interstate 95 in Newark near Route 896, leading to a shutdown of the highway for most of the day.
I-95 has since reopened.
It all began around 7:30 a.m. on the 100 block of Ayre Street in Newport with a report of a suspicious person with a gun.
As police arrived, the suspect fled on foot, pointed his gun at officers, and gunshots were fired. A school bus from DelCastle Technical High School, with 36 students on board, was struck by bullets in the area of Route 141 and East Market Street.
Fortunately, no one on the bus was injured.
Gary Martinez heard it all. The gunfire jolted him out of bed.
"I looked out the back window and I saw the state police coming down the ramp. Three or four cars maybe. Then immediately they pulled their guns and started shooting," he said.
He couldn't figure out what was happening
"I saw the police coming down, but when they started shooting I was like, somebody must have been shooting back at them," he said.
The suspect then fled to the area of Route 141 and Route 4 where he was able to carjack someone and take off.
Police say that led to a lengthy pursuit in the New Castle and Newark areas.
The suspect stopped in a dead end on Old Coochs Bridge Road in Newark, behind the Red Roof Inn, and fled on foot toward I-95 southbound.
State police say the suspect tried to carjack two vehicles, and during one of the attempts the suspect fired his gun, striking the interior of the vehicle.
At this point, state police say troopers were forced to engage with the suspect and fired at him.
An uninvolved motorist was injured during this part of the incident, but it wasn't clear how the person was hurt.
"He was treated at an area hospital and released. The circumstances of this injury remain unclear and are under investigation at this time," state police said in a statement.
The suspect then managed to successfully carjack someone on a third attempt and he fled the scene.
The suspect continued to flee southbound on I-95 until his vehicle came to a stop south of Route 896.
Police say troopers engaged the suspect, and that suspect was shot. It is still unclear if the man was shot by police or if he shot himself.
Delaware State Police earlier confirmed that there was an officer-involved shooting during this incident.
Troopers tried to render first aid, state police say, but that suspect did not survive.
The name of that suspect is not being released pending confirmation of his identity and notification of family members, police said.
Neighbors are left stunned by the trail of destruction, and that innocent kids were caught in the crossfire.
"It's terrifying, to be honest. I can't even believe this happened" said Victor Aken of Newport. "Why, just why? They're kids, just kids. It makes no sense."
Part of Interstate 95 was shut down for hours on Friday, but all lanes were opened shortly after 4:30 p.m.
If you have any information, or any photos or videos of the incident, you are asked to contact Delaware State Police Sergeant Yeich at 302-741-2703.
