By Craig Anderson

DOVER — A 20-year-old Felton woman was arrested Wednesday and charged with first-degree murder after a shooting death hours earlier, Dover police spokesman Sgt. Mark Hoffman said.

Nyasia Smith was taken into custody during a Felton-area traffic stop at 6:38 p.m., authorities said. She had been identified as a person of interest in the incident, where a 37-year-old Dover-area man was shot several times and later died at Bayhealth Hospital, Kent Campus, police said.

According to Sgt. Hoffman, officers were called to the scene of a shooting in the area of West North Street and Simon Circle at approximately 1:33 a.m. Wednesday. The wounded man had been struck in the torso by gunfire, police said.

Ms. Smith was found with a loaded 9 mm handgun, approximately 41.7 grams of marijuana and a digital scale, police said. Detectives had obtained an arrest warrant before taking her into custody.

Police withheld the name of the deceased man pending notification of next of kin.
In addition to first-degree murder, Ms. Smith was charged with possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony.

The traffic stop brought additional charges, including possession of a firearm by a person prohibited, possession with intent to deliver marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia. Ms. Smith was presented at Justice of the Peace Court 2, Rehoboth Beach, and committed to Baylor Women’s Correctional Institution, New Castle, on a $1,150,000 cash bond.

The incident was the city’s second homicide this year. Dazhmier Brooks, 19, died from injuries suffered in a shooting in the 400 block of Sussex Avenue on April 12. In that case, Riley Braswell, 22, was arrested May 3 and charged with first-degree murder and other felony offenses.