Delaware police shot and killed an armed man in a wheelchair who had apparently attempted suicide Wednesday, prompting bystanders to yell at officers for opening fire.
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Police found a man armed with a handgun in the 1800 block of Tulip Street, and a shooting ensued.
Wilmington spokeswoman Alexandra Coppadge also said that police told her the man had shot himself Wednesday before they arrived. The shooting took place at some point after that.
Police have released no details about the shooting, nor have they confirmed McDowell’s identity.
The man was identified as 28-year-old Jeremy “Bam” McDowell, according to Robert Bovell, who knows the family. Andrea Janvier told The News Journal that circumstances of the shooting are under investigation.
McDole’s uncle, Eugene Smith, were among a crowd of about a couple of dozen people who gathered Thursday at the scene of the shooting. That’s what it was. “I don’t care if he was black, white, whatever”, said Mr Smith.
McDowell is black. The race of the officers involved was not immediately released. He spoke at a news conference with Mayor Dennis Williams.
Her brother spent a lot of time with family members, especially his grandparents, who lived near his home in Wilmington, she said. “I didn’t see no gun”.
He never owned a gun, she said.
The shooting occurred on a narrow street behind an auto parts store in an area that includes a mix of shops and rowhouses. The shooting is under investigation. She said he was in a wheelchair after being shot and paralyzed at 18 years old.
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That’s when the man was killed in what the police office said was a ‘departmental shooting, ‘ although it still isn’t exactly clear how. The Department of Justice reviews all cases where an officer discharges a firearm resulting in injury or death.
