State Trooper Shot, Killed Outside a Delaware Wawa; Suspect in Standoff With Police

Matthew BalanApr 26th, 2017, 5:49 pm
 

Police in Delaware are in a standoff with a suspect who allegedly shot a state trooper during an altercation outside a Wawa convenience store and gas station in the town of Bear, Delaware.

The state trooper, who has yet to be identified, later died at nearby Christiana Hospital, according to a Wednesday report from CBS’s affiliate in Philadelphia, KYW-TV.

The local affiliate also provided eyewitness accounts of the shooting in a separate post.

An employee of a nearby business stated that he “witnessed an exchange between the trooper and a suspect that centered around a Burgundy Charger that was parked outside of the store.” One of the two people in the vehicle reportedly pushed the officer before the shooting started.

WPVI-TV, ABC’s Philadelphia affiliate, also cited a witness on Wednesday who said that the armed suspect “shot the trooper execution-style.”

One of two individuals in the Charger was apprehended by police minutes after the shooting. The other suspect escaped on foot, but was tracked down to his house in nearby Middletown, Delaware. The manhunt led to a brief lockdown in area schools.

WPVI reported that the second suspect is “refusing orders to surrender and has fired shots at officers.”

Delaware State Police superintendent Nathaniel McQueen said, “This is a sad day for our state and our Delaware State Police family. We ask that you keep the trooper’s family, and the Delaware State Police family, in your thoughts and prayers.”

You can watch WPVI’s report above.

(Update, Wednesday, 10:15 pm Eastern: the deceased state trooper has been identified as Stephen J. Ballard.)

[image via screengrab]

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