A 23-year-old man has been arrested in Philadelphia in connection with a shooting Tuesday afternoon at ChristianaCare Wilmington Hospital that left one person dead and another injured, Delaware authorities said.
The Wilmington Police Department said in a statement that the suspect was taken into custody in Philadelphia. “Charges and extradition to Delaware are pending,” the statement said. Little additional information about the arrest has been made public.
The shooting erupted at about 3:30 p.m. EDT at the 321-bed hospital, a trauma center located in the heart of Delaware’s most populous city. Officers arriving on the scene found 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, Campos said.
A preliminary investigation indicated the shooting was targeted, authorities said following the arrest.
The hospital 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 Campos.
Regardless of the motive, “there is never an excuse for violence and there is never an excuse for gun violence,” Campos 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,” Carney 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, first lady Lauren Meyer, works as a physician at the hospital.
“We ask all Delawareans to keep everyone affected in their thoughts as we learn more about what happened and stay vigilant,” Meyer 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.