Group calls for Wilmington PD chief to resign

Supporters and family members of Jeremy McDole, a wheelchair-bound man killed by Wilmington Police in September, want Wilmington Chief of Police Bobby Cummings to resign.

Police say McDole was suicidal and reached for a gun before he was shot and killed by Wilmington Police on Sept. 23. McDole, who was paralyzed following a previous shooting, was shot by police while sitting in his wheelchair in the middle of Tulip St. in Wilmington.

The Delaware Department of Justice is still investigating the circumstances surrounding the incident.

But McDole’s supporters and family members say the officers arrived at the scene not to help save McDole’s life, but to end it. They say the incident has caused distrust of the Wilmington Police Department. They want Chief Cummings to resign. They also want the officers involved to be suspended without pay during the investigation.

“There is no way that you can give a decision, and allow these officers to work off our tax dollars inside the Wilmington Police station,“ said Robert Bovell.

Bovell ran against Mayor Dennis Williams in the 2012 Democratic Primary. He owns Bovell Bail Bonds in Wilmington. “If we don’t take a stand today, tomorrow, we do not know what may come before our people. It is sad that you allow this type of behavior to happen in our city.”

Mayor Williams sent a statement to WHYY in response to the resignation calls. “I continue to offer my condolences and support to the McDole family. I understand the sensitivity of this tragic incident and its lingering impact on the community…however, I remain confident in Chief Cummings as the leader of the Wilmington Police Department.”