By Natalie Musumeci, The New York Post
A Delaware state trooper was fatally gunned down outside of a local Wawa store Wednesday, later prompting a standoff with one of two suspects who fired at cops, police said.
The on-duty trooper, whose identity was not immediately released, was shot several times at around 12:10 p.m.in the parking lot of the store alongside the Pulaski Highway near Salem Church Road in the town of Bear after approaching a “suspicious” vehicle, cops said.
(Learn More, courtesy of Fox News and YouTube)
“The trooper made contact and a struggle ensued,” Delaware State Police Superintendent Colonel Nathaniel McQueen Jr. told reporters at a press conference.
One of two people inside the car then exited and fired multiple rounds at the trooper as the other person inside the car fled on foot, McQueen said.
Emergency responders rushed the trooper to Christiana Hospital where he died.
(Once suspect was arrested at the scene, the other fled on foot and eventually barricaded himself inside a home in Middletown about 15 miles away. Courtesy of NewsWorks and YouTube)
One witness, Clarence Travers, told DelmarvaNow he was sitting at a red light on the Pulaski Highway when he heard gunfire and saw the officer fall to the ground.
Travers said a man then got out of his car and proceeded to shoot the officer on the ground multiple times before running away.
“I wanted to get away from that,” Travers said.
A reporter for the DelawareOnline tweeted, “Scene indicates the trooper was shot multiple times.”
“There’s a lot of blood on ground, multiple casing markers. Still huge police presence.”
Police said that one of the suspects was taken into custody at the scene and the other one fled into a residence in the Brick Mill Farm section in Middletown and is firing at police, said McQueen.
“The suspect has refused to surrender and is firing rounds at officers,” McQueen said, adding “this is a sad day for our state.”
Meanwhile, area schools were placed on lockdown.
The Appoquinimink School District posted on Facebook, “We have been notified by police that an armed individual is in the Dove Run Shopping Center.”
“The police have set up a perimeter.”
“As a precaution, ALL area schools have gone on lockdown.”
The University of Delaware Police said in a Facebook post, “Our thoughts and prayers are with the Delaware State Police during this time. Please keep the Officer who was injured in your prayers.”
Original post http://nypost.com/2017/04/26/state-trooper-shot-outside-a-wawa/
Editor’s Note: Our thoughts are with the Delaware State Police. May the Fallen Trooper rest in peace. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family, both blood and blue.
