By Benjamin Rothstein

DOVER — Two Dover men were arrested Thursday in connection with the fatal shooting of 18-year-old Camay De Silva on April 21 on the campus of Delaware State University.

During a Monday press conference, Dover police announced that 20-year-old Destry Jones and 18-year-old Damien Hinson have been charged. Neither of the suspects are students at the school, nor was the victim.

Chief Thomas Johnson also said Monday that the gunshot that killed Ms. De Silva resulted from a several-person altercation in which she was not involved. Therefore, he said, investigators do not believe she was an intended target.

Mr. Jones and Mr. Hinson were each charged with first-degree murder, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, possession of a firearm by a person prohibited and first-degree conspiracy.

In addition, they each face two counts of first-degree attempted murder, in connection with the 20-year-old and 21-year-old police believe the suspects were fighting with.

According to Chief Johnson, at around 1:40 a.m. April 21, both Dover police and university police were alerted to gunshots in the area of Gate 3, along College Road. Though a phoned-in report referenced a fight taking place around the Tubman-Laws Hall dorm, the officers did not find such an altercation nor any evidence of shots fired, he said.

Shortly after, a second call reported that a body of a young woman, later identified as Ms. De Silva, had been discovered near Warren-Franklin Hall, in the vicinity of Tubman-Laws, the chief said.

Ms. De Silva, a Wilmington resident, was transferred to Bayhealth Hospital, Kent Campus in Dover and later died.

Chief Johnson said Mr. Hinson was arrested in the parking lot of Dover’s Gateway West Shopping Center on Thursday, while Mr. Jones was arrested by the U.S. Marshals Service in Brooklyn, New York, also Thursday.

The chief noted that it is not unusual for suspects to relocate after a crime, adding that he was unsure when the extradition process would be complete.

Mr. Hinson was committed to Sussex Correctional Institution, Georgetown, on $3 million cash bail.

Ms. De Silva’s mother, Shanelle De Silva, was also in attendance Monday.

“I hope that (the suspects) can live with what they did because they made a stupid choice that’s gonna affect their life,” she said. “They took someone that had nothing to do with what was going on with them and their senseless choices. I hope you can live with what you did and that guilt eats you up because you took my baby girl from me.”

Also Monday, Chief Johnson credited the Delaware State University resident assistants on duty during the time of the shooting.

“This does give me a chance to compliment the RAs who were on duty in the dorms,” he said. “Without getting into specifics, I’m just going to say they did what they were supposed to do. They were present. They were proactive.”

University president Dr. Tony Allen also spoke.

“My wife and I had the opportunity to attend (Ms. De Silva’s) services on Friday,” he stated. “It’s worth noting that she would have attended Delaware State University in the fall, and after attending an incredible celebration of life, I know she would have been an exceptional, exceptional student.”

Additionally, Dr. Allen confirmed that the university has been investing more than $45 million into enhancing building security and surveillance cameras since 2020.

“Instead of running from these things, we try to run to them,” he said, referencing the institution’s virtual town hall a few days after the incident, as well as several student-led vigils.

According to Dr. Allen, Ms. De Silva will be honored at Friday’s commencement.

Her mother has not yet decided if she will be attending but recalled her daughter’s personality.

“Camay was funny. She was witty. She was sweet. She was nurturing, smart,” she said. “She was very into tech. She wanted to work in cybersecurity. Computer science was a passion of hers. She loved coding. She just loved being there for people.”