Delaware State University shooting

On September 21, 2007, two 17-year-old Delaware State University freshmen were shot on campus. One died 32 days later on October 23, from critical injuries sustained in the attack. A suspected perpetrator, Loyer D. Braden, a freshman from East Orange, New Jersey, was arrested and charged with attempted murder; the charges were dismissed in May 2009.

Delaware State University shooting
LocationDover, Delaware, United States
DateSeptember 21, 2007 (UTC-4)
Attack type
School shooting
Deaths1
Injured1
PerpetratorLoyer D.Braden

Events and university response

On September 21, 2007, a perpetrator shot two 17-year-old Delaware State University students from the Washington, D.C. area, Shalita Middleton and Nathaniel Pugh, and shot at but did not wound a third student.[1] Middleton died on October 23 from injuries sustained in the attack, without regaining consciousness.[2][3]

The university responded within 20 minutes of the shooting to notify students by web announcements, physically entering dorms, and telecommunications.[4] Text messages were not sent at the time of the incident.[5] The campus was kept on "limited access status" from Friday, September 21 through Sunday, September 23, with classes resuming on Monday, September 24.[6] The university increased security patrols on campus following the incident.[7]

Arrest

On September 24, 2007, police arrested Loyer D. Braden, also a freshman, in his dorm and charged him with attempted first-degree murder among other offences.[6]

I question the young man's intelligence in coming back to campus this morning, if that's what he did. Lord knows what was going through his brain. Maybe he thought he was scott-free.—Carlos Holmes, university spokesman.[8]

On September 28, 2007, following Braden's arraignment hearing, the case was transferred to Superior Court for trial. The judge ordered that if Braden made bail, he be barred from visiting the DESU campus or contacting potential witnesses.[7]

On May 19, 2009, the judge dismissed the charges against Braden, saying that the prosecution had withheld evidence.[1] A witness who had been with Middleton said that two men in dreadlocks and white t-shirts had shot the students.[1]

References
  1. Mark Mueller (2009-05-19). "Judge dismisses murder case against N.J. man charged in Delaware State campus shooting". nj.com.
  2. "Victim in Delaware State University Shooting Dies of Injuries". Fox News.
  3. "Bail Increased for DSU Campus Shooting Suspect After Victim Dies". WBOC-TV. 2007-10-24.
  4. "Student Shoots Two at Delaware State University". Washington Post. 2007-09-21.
  5. "2 Students Shot at Delaware State". Associated Press. 2007-09-21. Archived from the original on 2007-11-13.
  6. "Arrest Made in DSU Shooting Incident" (press release). Delaware State University. 2007-09-24. Archived from the original on 2007-11-08.
  7. "DSU Shooting Suspect's Case Is Moved to Superior Court" (press release). Delaware State University. 2007-09-28. Archived from the original on 2007-11-08.
  8. Susan Kinzie (2007-09-25). "Freshman Charged In Shooting Two At Delaware State". Washington Post. p. B1.

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.