Five people were shot Wednesday morning at the Delaware County Linen in the city of Chester.

According to Delaware County District Attorney Jack Stollsteimer, an employee came to work with a firearm and shot five of his colleagues. Two people were fatally wounded and three were injured. The alleged shooter is in custody.

Stollsteimer provided an update alongside Chester Police Commissioner Steven Gretzky. Stollsteimer described the incident as a “workplace shooting” where an employee “took out his anger.”

Delaware County Linen, located on the 2600 block of West 4th Street, has been in operation since 1988.

Law enforcement officials are processing the crime scene.

Wounded victims were taken to Crozer-Chester Medical Center in Upland Borough.

Following the shooting, Chester Mayor Stefan Roots was standing outside the business’ perimeter. He told WHYY News his immediate reaction was “extreme sorrow, anger, confusion and as mayor — a call for action.”

“We’re a strong community here in Chester. We have been through many things,” Roots said. “This is one that no one would have ever anticipated”

He applauded police for capturing the alleged shooter without incident.

“In a tragedy like this, that’s the closest we can come to a good ending,” Roots said.

Chester City Council ended its regularly scheduled public meeting early on Wednesday to address the situation.

In a statement to WHYY News, Councilmember Fred Green said it was “important to forgo city business to take care of community business.”

“My thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families during this unimaginable time. No words can adequately convey the depth of our grief, but we stand united in our support for those affected,” Green said.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

Delco Council is not unanimous in its support for mental health facility at Delco Woods

As it stands right now, Taylor said county council just wanted to assess the building’s viability.

“That’s why it has not actually been on an agenda or approved of any sort to move forward with the full project,” Taylor said.

Delco Councilmember Elaine Schaefer is the lone council member opposing a mental health facility at a building on the Delco Woods property. She reiterated her respect for her colleagues and the fact that the desire to assess the facility was driven by a need for options.

Nevertheless, Schaefer drew a distinction between her vision for Delco Woods and what her fellow council members might have in mind.

“Given my set of priorities, I don’t believe that there should be any governmental institutional use on the property,” Schaefer said.

Schaefer does not see a world where the two concepts co-exist.

“In my opinion, the uses are incompatible. We engaged in a process where we solicited a really incredible, robust opinion from all over the county,” Schaefer said.

The public backed a “state-of-the-art world-class park” centered around the area where the buildings currently exist.

“In my opinion, any governmental institutional use within that main area [in] the master plan would not be compatible,” Schaefer said.

Delco has no plans to house undocumented immigrants at Delco Woods — but a ‘fringe element’ persists

Some of the opposition against a mental health facility is rooted in safety concerns.

Taylor believes the stigma surrounding mental health has played a role in exacerbating fears. She said a similar facility elsewhere in the county also exists. When asked about its location, Taylor declined.

“Given the current climate, I would think that that would cause other problems for that facility,” Taylor said.

Then there are the false and unfounded claims that Delaware County Council is planning to house undocumented immigrants in the Delco Woods that have driven a new level of fury into a relatively normal dispute.

The baseless allegations prompted county council to issue a statement in March unequivocally denying the rumors. Despite the missive, some community members continue circulating rumors online and doubling down.

One thing Hemphill, Schaefer and Taylor agree on is that the false narrative around housing undocumented immigrants in Delco Woods has derailed an important dialogue.

Hemphill feels as though those voices have co-opted a movement he helped start “to score political points for this fringe element that keeps coming out and screaming about stolen elections and other nonsense.”

Taylor emphasized that no decision has been made.

“Our goal is to try and find another location for it,” Taylor said. “I welcome others to help us find another location.”

The county is continuing to review other options.

“And it is my true, great hope that we do find a more suitable spot and that we can then get back on track in creating a world-class park that will create incredible value to all of our residents,” Schaefer said.

The county is still in the planning process for Delco Woods.

Sussex County introduces its Fiscal Year 2025 budget, and it’s lower than this year.

The proposed budget is almost $266 million dollars. That’s about $13 million less than the current year as American Rescue Plan Act funds come off the books.

There is no increase in taxes, but the county proposes using reserves to balance the budget with $12.4 million going to the General Fund and $11.9 to the Capital Fund.

The good news is there is no increase in property taxes, but residents can expect fee increases.

“We do have some changes in fees,” said Jennings. “I am proposing a $25 annual increase in our water rates, that’s a 6.4% increase, a $10 increase in sewer rates.”

That’s Sussex County Finance Director Gina Jennings who adds the proposed sewer increase is three percent.

The county also wants to add fees according to Jennings.

“A new fee, it’s a plan resubmittal fee, it’s $300 per occurrence, and this would be happening in two different departments, one being in the engineering department for sewer and road reviews. They get a lot of reviews from engineers and we ask exactly what we need and sometimes we have to reject them and we have to start all over again. So staff’s asking to help with the backlog is that we implement a rejection fee,” said Jennings.

The other department using that new fee would be Planning and Zoning. Currently the county doesn’t charge a fee to go back and review again.

Another proposed fee is for use of the Data Center in Seaford by municipalities who want to store data off-site. It would be either $500 per month for a half a rack and $1,000 per month for a full rack.

There will be a public hearing on the budget on June 18^th at 10:15 in council chambers at the Sussex County Administration Building.

County Council needs to approve a final budget by June 30^th.