WILMINGTON, Del. (WPVI) — Three years after her son was fatally shot in West Philadelphia, Kameelah Torrance is still searching for answers and justice.

Samyr Walker, 19, was killed on September 4, 2022, while delivering food in his mother’s car. Torrance said Walker’s own vehicle had broken down the night before, prompting him to borrow hers to earn extra money.

“I get a phone call, I’m thinking it’s him,” Torrance recalled.

Philadelphia police said the shooting occurred around 1:45 p.m. at the Chick-A-Boom restaurant drive-thru on 46th Street and Lancaster Avenue. While waiting for his food, Walker reportedly had an interaction with another driver.

“What I’m guessing is maybe he was on his phone and he accidentally tapped the bumper, which is what happened,” Torrance said.

Police said the altercation escalated when gunshots were fired from the suspect’s car as Walker exited his vehicle to retrieve his order. A passenger in Walker’s car also returned fire. Authorities believe the motive was road rage.

According to the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office, detectives located the vehicle believed to be involved and interviewed both the owner and the reported driver. However, no arrests have been made.

The DA’s office said it has extended victim support services to Walker’s family and the affected community.

Torrance described her son, affectionately called “Meer Meer,” as “a very happy-go-lucky kid.”

“Every time you see him, he was always smiling, silly, liked to have fun, very family oriented,” said Torrance.

She said the lack of closure has made the loss even harder to bear.

“No closure, sleepless nights, it’s just been horrible,” she said. “It’s not fair that my son is gone and you’re walking around free, freely doing whatever. His life was cut short.”

Torrance said she still texts Walker’s phone number and mourns the future he was denied.

“He won’t be able to get married, have children, become something of himself. He was robbed of that and it’s not fair,” she said.

Police say the investigation remains active and ongoing. Torrance and law enforcement are urging anyone with information to come forward.

DOVER, Del. – A tragic crash involving a school bus and an electric bicycle claimed the life of a 14-year-old boy in Dover.

Deadly collision with bus 

What we know:

The crash happened around 4 p.m. on West Lebanon Road as a school bus was turning onto Royal Grant Way, according to police. The electric bicycle, ridden by a 16-year-old with a 14-year-old passenger, did not stop at a posted bicycle stop sign and collided with the bus.

The 14-year-old passenger of the e-bike was pronounced dead at a local hospital. The 16-year-old operator suffered serious injuries. Neither of the teenagers were wearing a helmet, police said.

The bus was affiliated with the Caesar Rodney School District and driven by a 75-year-old man from Magnolia, who was not injured. Twenty-one students on the bus were unharmed.

The road was closed for about four hours for investigation by the Delaware State Police Troop 3 Collision Reconstruction Unit. The investigation is still ongoing.

Ongoing questions for authorities

Authorities are urging anyone with information about the crash to come forward. Witnesses can contact Master Corporal W. Booth or send a message to the Delaware State Police.

If you have information, reach out to Delaware Crime Stoppers at 1-800-847-3333. Victims and witnesses needing support can contact the Delaware State Police Victim Services Unit at 1-800-VICTIM-1.

• Goodstay Gardens, a historic garden in Wilmington, Delaware, is a free, public space open year-round.
• Though smaller than nearby Longwood Gardens, Nemours Estate, and Winterthur, Goodstay offers a charming and historically significant experience.
• The gardens feature a variety of flowers, trees, and seating areas, and are dog-friendly (leashed).

One of the best aspects of being a reporter in Delaware is discovering and writing about places I might never have visited otherwise.

When I was a student at the University of Delaware, I took some summer classes at UD’s Wilmington campus at 2700 Pennsylvania Ave. That was more than 30 years ago. I never gave the mid-17th-century Goodstay Center Mansion on the grounds much thought, and certainly didn’t visit the gardens. If you’re taking a summer class, your main concern is to get it over with as soon as possible, especially when it feels like everyone else is having fun at the beach.

I’ve been back to the Wilmington campus maybe once since then to give a talk at its Osher Lifelong Learning Institute about my journalism career, but that was at least a decade ago.

But for several years, I’ve been hearing about and even sometimes mentioning the “secret garden” tucked behind the Mansion.

While on an assignment in downtown Wilmington on a glorious August summer afternoon, I drove by the Colonial Revival-style mansion, behind the white fence off Pennsylvania Avenue, and, on a whim, made a U-turn.

I was finally going to check out the Goodstay Gardens that are free and open to the public daily from dawn to dusk, year-round.

It felt a little like being in a Nancy Drew mystery as I opened the gate of the white picket fence leading to the historic Tudor-style gardens behind the stone colonial house, which traces its roots back to before 1635.

What a find! Let me first apologize in advance to anyone who considers this garden “a secret,” including the lone woman I met on my stroll who told me about the frogs and butterflies she spied during her walk and then said she didn’t want anyone to know about this hidden gem.

OK, so sorry-not-sorry. I’m no gatekeeper when it comes to sharing cool places in Delaware to visit, especially a free urban oasis. I feel compelled to spill the beans. That’s why the boss man pays me.

First things first: This former du Pont family home is nowhere near as sprawling as Longwood Gardens, Pierre du Pont’s former home near Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, which has nearly 200 stunning acres open to the public. 

Delaware’s gilded age: Here’s a guide to 15 du Pont family estates

Nor is it as majestic as Nemours Estate, his cousin Alfred I. duPont’s former homestead and French-inspired formal gardens in Rockland, which makes you feel like you’ve been transported to the grounds of the Palace of Versailles.

And it’s also no Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library, Henry Francis du Pont’s former home with its 60-acre garden, designed by du Pont, that is considered among America’s best.