Delaware authorities are hunting for a gunman following a Tuesday afternoon shooting inside a Wilmington hospital that left one person dead and another injured.
The shooting erupted at about 3:30 p.m. EDT at ChristianaCare Wilmington Hospital, a 321-bed facility located in the heart of Delaware’s most populous city. Officers arrived on the scene to find two people suffering from gunshot wounds. One person was pronounced dead, Wilmington Police Chief Wilfredo Campos told reporters during a press conference.
The conditions and identities of the victims were being withheld out of respect for their families, he said.
The identity of the suspect appeared to be unknown, and Campos said officers were working to track him down.
“The suspect is outstanding at this time and we are actively working to identify, confirm his identity and locate him,” he said.
The hospital, a trauma center, 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 the police chief.
“Regardless of what the motive is in this incident might have been, there is never an excuse for violence and there is never an excuse for gun violence,” he said, adding that they will “work tirelessly through this evening to bring this person to justice.”
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,” he 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, the state’s first lady Lauren Meyer, works as a physician there.
“We ask all Delawareans to keep everyone affected in their thoughts as we learn more about what happened and stay vigilant,” he 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.
