Dover man seriously injured in officer-involved shooting
By This story has been updated
DOVER — A 37-year-old Dover man suffered serious injuries Sunday when shot by a Dover Police officer who had responded to a trespassing complaint, authorities said.
The incident occurred in the 400 block of Sussex Avenue, Dover Police spokesman Master Cpl. Ryan Schmid. Officers were initially dispatched shortly after 8:37 p.m. after a woman was reportedly refusing to leave a residence, police said.
According to police, first arriving officers observed a disturbance between an adult woman and adult man, in the middle of the block, in proximity to the dispatched address.
Police said the man possessed a handgun and discharged the weapon in the presence of police.
Police said that the man did not comply with officer commands following the weapons discharge, police said.
In the “rapidly evolving incident”, according to police, in response to an imminent threat to life, the suspect was shot by police. Officers immediately rendered aid to the suspect and called for emergency medical assistance, police said.
The suspect was transported to Bayhealth Kent Campus, in serious condition, for further treatment of his injury, police said.
Cpl. Schmid said the suspect remained in serious condition Monday morning.
The man suffered upper body injuries and Cpl. Schmid did not disclose how many times he was struck citing the ongoing investigation.
No other officer discharged a firearm, Cpl. Schmid said.
A handgun was recovered from the ground directly next to where the suspect was located, according to Cpl. Schmid.
Additional responding units were able to determine that there were no other victims and no additional threat to public safety, police said.
The officer involved in the shooting is a 2 ½ year veteran of the Dover Police Department and is a member of the Patrol Division, Cpl. Schmid said.
Consistent with standard policy for all officer-involved shootings, the Officer has been placed on administrative leave, with pay, pending the outcome of the investigation, police said.
The Dover Police Department will continue to investigate this incident in coordination with the Delaware Department of Justice – Division of Civil Rights and Public Trust and will provide additional details as they become available, according to authorities.
This investigation is ongoing and anyone with information is asked to contact the Dover Police Department at 302-736-7130. Callers may remain anonymous. Tips may also be submitted to law enforcement through Delaware Crime Stoppers at 800-TIP-3333 or online at delaware.crimestoppersweb.com.
According to Cpl. Schmid, there have been five Dover Police Department officer-involved shootings since 2000, including the one Sunday.
