A shooting inside one of Delaware's largest hospitals set off an urgent law enforcement response and a manhunt that stretched into the evening. The violence unfolded at Wilmington Hospital, where authorities say an employee opened fire on colleagues during the afternoon.
According to police, the gunfire left two employees shot inside the building. Earlier accounts indicated that one of the victims was struck in the neck and the other in the upper body, underscoring the severity of the attack as it played out in a medical setting.
Late in the day, police confirmed that one of the victims had been killed. Investigators characterized the episode as a targeted act of workplace violence rather than a random attack on the public, framing it as an incident centered on people connected to the hospital.
The response was immediate and overwhelming. Dozens of officers and FBI agents swarmed the hospital, which was placed on lockdown as the situation developed. Workers and patients who were inside at the time fled at the sound of gunfire, with some seen leaving the building with their hands up.
One person who was in the emergency room recalled hearing the shots ring out, capturing the fear that gripped those caught inside. The lockdown kept people in place while officers worked to secure the building and account for everyone present.
Attention quickly turned to the suspect, described as a hospital worker who fled the scene after the shooting. Sources indicated the person may have been a temporary worker, and police said the suspect was known to them as the search intensified.
With the suspect still at large, authorities pressed on with the manhunt and urged people in the area to stay away while the search continued. Officers from a number of agencies remained focused on tracking down the suspect and securing the hospital grounds.
The shooting had erupted at around 3:30 in the afternoon, sending Wilmington Hospital into a temporary lockdown as first responders, officers and FBI agents rushed to the scene. By the time they arrived the gunman had already fled, and authorities settled in for an hours-long manhunt that ranged well beyond the hospital. Officials later said the search led them about 29 miles away to Philadelphia, where the suspect was finally located.
A 23-year-old man was taken into custody in connection with the shooting of the two hospital workers. Authorities had not yet publicly identified him, saying only that he was awaiting charges and extradition to Delaware. One hospital worker was confirmed dead, while the condition of the second remained unclear, and investigators stressed that the attack was not random as they worked to determine what contact the temporary employee had with the victims before he chose to open fire.