Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Three Wilmington police officers injured, investigation ongoing

Delaware Public Media

Three Wilmington police officers were shot in an incident on North Market Street Wednesday night. 

According to the Wilmington Police Department, they were transported to the hospital in stable condition, and one officer has already been released.

Wilmington Mayor Mike Purzycki says he visited with two of the officers this morning at Christiana Hospital and spoke with the other officer by phone.

"They are in good spirits and are being well cared for by wonderful medical professionals," said Puzycki in a statement. "Most importantly, the officers are being loved and supported by their families."

"The FOP has been with the injured officers and their families since late last night, we are praying for full recoveries," local police union president Greg Ciotti said Thursday in a text message.

The Wilmington Police Department reports the incident was a domestic dispute involving 31-year-old Bernard Goodwyn of Smyrna.

 

In a statement, police say officers attempted to negotiage Goodwyn's surrender over the course of twelve hours after he fired on the officers.

 

When officers entered the room where Goodwyn was located Thursday morning, they found him dead from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.

 

The stand-off kept a heavy police presence in the area into Thursday morning.  At 10:30 a.m., police announced nearby residents no longer needed to shelter in place. But police say their investigation is ongoing.

 

"Chief Robert Tracy and his officers, assisted by Chief John Looney and the Wilmington Fire Department, and Wilmington’s other outstanding partner police and criminal justice agencies successfully managed and controlled a very tense and dangerous situation throughout the night," said Mayor Purzycki's statement. "The incident displaced some nearby residents while others were forced to shelter in place. We are sorry for this disruption, but we appreciate their cooperation."

 

 

Several elected officials also commented on the incident. 

Congresswoman Lisa Blunt Rochester, Sen. Tom Carper, Sen. Chris Coons and Gov. John Carney said they are praying for the injured officers. 

“I’m grateful for their service and thinking about first responders and Wilmington residents impacted by this tragic incident,” Coons added. 

 

"Today, I visited the hospital and was relieved to hear that the three officers wounded by gunfire are recovering," said Car[er in a statement."With the tragic passing of Cpl. Keith Heacook fresh on our minds, this is another grim reminder of the danger faced by law enforcement every day."

This story has been updated. 

Tom Byrne has been a fixture covering news in Delaware for three decades. He joined Delaware Public Media in 2010 as our first news director and has guided the news team ever since. When he's not covering the news, he can be found reading history or pursuing his love of all things athletic.
Sophia Schmidt is a Delaware native. She comes to Delaware Public Media from NPR’s Weekend Edition in Washington, DC, where she produced arts, politics, science and culture interviews. She previously wrote about education and environment for The Berkshire Eagle in Pittsfield, MA. She graduated from Williams College, where she studied environmental policy and biology, and covered environmental events and local renewable energy for the college paper.
Roman Battaglia grew up in Portland, Ore, and now reports for Delaware Public Media as a Report For America corps member. He focuses on politics, elections and legislation activity at the local, county and state levels.
Related Content