By Benjamin Rothstein

DOVER -- Monday’s Dover City Council meeting concluded with a passionate message from Mayor Robin R. Christiansen regarding recent violent events in Dover. 

“Let them get the message that we are coming after you,” said Mayor Christiansen. “We are not going to tolerate an unsafe city.” 

Mayor Christiansen’s statement comes after two Dover shootings that both resulted in the death of a young person. The first was on April 14, when police said 19-year-old Breshawn Best allegedly shot and killed a 15-year-old boy on Governors Avenue, while the other took place Sunday morning with the murder of 18-year-old Camay Mitchell DeSilva on the Delaware State University campus. 

“I hope the rest of you join me in expressing our confidence to (police) Chief Johnson (and) the men and women of the Dover Police Department and the other organizations that are working with us to take these stupid people off the street. These folks are bad actors,” continued Mayor Christiansen. 

The mayor stated that the city had yet held a press conference as of Wednesday regarding these incidents because they wish for the suspects to be in custody beforehand. 

“We will have a press conference to assure our community that we are a safe place to live, work and play and we are, with the exception of certain areas. And here’s a notification: those certain areas are going to come up to meet the standards. So here’s your warning,” he said. 

City council members spoke in response.

“With the ... recent gun violence in our city, I would just like to express my sincere sympathy to the families of the victims that were involved in this pressing issue. My prayers are with you and I call for peace in the city,” said Councilman Brian Lewis. 

“All of us are heartbroken at any and all incidents of loss caused by the tragic taking of human life,” said Councilman David Anderson. “Our thoughts and prayers, but also our efforts, and our support for making sure that the city is safe is unrelenting and continuing.” 

“I think at this time, we really need to be at a united front and the community needs to step up and do what’s right and report those individuals who are committing these crimes ... to the mayor’s office,” said Councilman Roy Sudler Jr. “It’s very important that we work together because a stray bullet has nobody’s name on it.”

As of Wednesday, the Dover Police Department has yet to release a suspect description for the homicide at Delaware State University.