Shooting in assisted living facility parking lot near Dover leaves at least 1 injured

Delaware State Police have confirmed that at least one person was shot near Dover on Tuesday night.

Photographs of the scene taken by John Needles Jr., who was visiting his mother on the fourth floor of the Harmony at Kent assisted living facility, show two people on their backs with presumed gunshot wounds in the facility’s parking lot.

Needles said he ran to the window when he heard the sound of gunshots and saw one man standing over another with a gun. He said he then watched as police arrived and began to speak to the man, who was also with an elderly woman using a walker.

The man still had a gun, Needles said, and when he stepped far enough away from the woman, at least one officer shot him.

A state police spokesperson could not confirm or deny whether an officer was involved in the shooting.

Needles captured photos of state troopers swarming the scene with guns raised and removing a person with a walker from the scene. They can then be seen performing chest compressions on the injured people as a Camden Wyoming Fire Company ambulance arrives.

Needles said he believes the two men were arguing in the assisted living facility’s lobby and then took the fight outside.

Troopers initially sent out an alert on X at 6:23 p.m. advising drivers to avoid the 1400 block of Route 10—where Harmony at Kent is located—for an “ongoing investigation.” There is no threat to public safety related to the shooting, according to police.

State police said updates would be posted when available. The department last posted at 8:21 p.m. on X that there was no new information.

This is a developing story. Check back with Delaware Online/The News Journal for more updates.

Send story tips or ideas to Hannah Edelman at hedelman@delawareonline.com. For more reporting, follow them on X at @h_edelman.