Six people shot on Halloween night near University of Delaware in Newark

Gunfire wounded six people late Saturday, Halloween night, on a crowded section of Main Street in Newark, Delaware, a short walk from the University of Delaware, several Philadelphia-area news outlets reported.

Newark police received reports of gunfire on East Main Street's 100 block at roughly 11:15 p.m., according to 6abc Action News and WHYY. The outlets differ on the precise spot. FOX 29 placed it in an alley off East Main Street, while NBC10 described a sidewalk on Main Street opposite Choate Street.

Every victim was brought to a hospital, and 6abc said two separate hospitals received them. Police have released neither names nor conditions. Witnesses who spoke with FOX 29 estimated the victims' ages at 15 or 16 and said they likely did not attend the university. Police have not confirmed those details.

According to witnesses interviewed by NBC10, students and other revelers filled the street for Halloween when the shots rang out, and the crowd scattered. Officers were already close by when the shooting began, 6abc reported.

Landon Singleton, a bystander, told NBC10 he rushed toward a wounded boy, pulled off his own shirt and used it to press on the injury. FOX 29 carried a comparable account of a bystander who held the teen's hand while waiting for medics.

NBC10 reported that the university issued an emergency alert at 11:29 p.m. advising people to avoid the area. Several students told 6abc the message never mentioned a shooting. "We did get a UD alert. However, there's a lot of controversy because they didn't specify shooting, just said police activity," sophomore Patrick McKenna told the station.

The street stayed closed for hours and started reopening near 3 a.m. Sunday, NBC10 said. WHYY reported that police saw no sign of a continuing danger to the public.

NBC10 and FOX 29 both reported that police have not said whether they have made an arrest. Investigators want people who captured images or recordings, or who know anything else, to reach out to the department. FOX 29 also reported that Klondike Kate's, a local restaurant, stated the shooting did not occur in its building or on its grounds.

Gov. Matt Meyer released a statement covering both the Newark shooting and an unrelated one in Ellendale, NBC10 reported, noting that Delaware State Police are assisting Newark officers. "This is not normal. We must never accept gun violence as a part of life in Delaware," Meyer said.

University President Laura Carlson urged the campus to rally around one another, according to NBC10, and condemned racist and stereotyped posts and inaccurate claims circulating online about the shooting.

Compiled by True News from reporting by WHYY, 6abc Action News, FOX 29 Philadelphia and NBC10 Philadelphia. Each outlet's original story is linked below.

Originally published by True News: https://truenews.bagleyenterprises.net/stories/665