A woman wanted in connection with a 2023 shooting was killed after a gunfire exchange with officers and a police chase across Delaware and Pennsylvania, authorities said.
The chaos kicked off on Tuesday around noon, when officers in Delaware were called to the 300 block of North Madison Street in Wilmington, NBC Philadelphia reported. They were attempting to arrest an unidentified suspect for a shooting that occurred in Wilmington on Dec. 2, 2023, but she fled as soon as she spotted law enforcement.
According to authorities, she crashed her vehicle into multiple police cruisers before taking off on I-95 northbound and driving into Pennsylvania. The subsequent chase involved law enforcement officers from both states, police said.
The woman eventually crashed her car in Chichester, Pennsylvania, at which point she pulled out a gun and fired at the pursuing police, according to investigators. A pair of Delaware state troopers returned fire, but she again managed to evade authorities. Police said she exited her crashed car and then stole a black SUV. She managed to make it to Chester, Pennsylvania before she again crashed, this time into a home under construction along the 1200 block of Kerlin Street, authorities said.
The suspect then made her way inside the residence before attempting to flee in yet another vehicle. At that point, three Wilmington police officers, five Delaware state troopers, a Trainer Borough police officer and a Chester police officer pulled out their weapons and started shooting, according to NBC Philadelphia. Authorities said the pursuit only ended after a SWAT truck slammed into the woman’s vehicle.
When officers pulled her from the car, her body was riddled with bullets. She was pronounced dead on the scene, though it’s unclear whether she was killed in the crash or by the gunfire.
Police said a Wilmington officer also suffered minor injuries during the ordeal.
The Delaware County District Attorney’s Office, the Wilmington Police Department Criminal Investigations Division and the Office of Professional Standards are currently investigating the incident. Two Wilmington officers, both of who discharged their weapons, were also placed on administrative duty pending the outcome of the investigation.
