Two women shot in Wilmington; PD shakeup coming?

Two women are in stable condition after they were caught in the crossfire of a shooting late Monday night in Wilmington.

The shooting happened just before 10 p.m. in the 600 block of W. 6th Street in Wilmington’s West Center City section.  After an initial investigation, police believe the two women were sitting on a porch when two unknown people began shooting at each other.

The 47-year-old woman was hit in the buttocks and the 29-year-old victim was shot in the thigh.

Both victims were taken by ambulance to Christiana Hospital where they were last listed in stable condition.

Record continues to grow

The latest shootings in the city add to the record number of people injured by gunfire in Delaware’s largest city in 2013.  The record-setting violence comes in Wilmington Mayor Dennis Williams’ first year in office after he campaigned as a tough on crime candidate who would aggressively tackle the city’s crime problem.

Williams expressed some of his exasperation with the ongoing shootings in an inteview Tuesday morning on WDEL radio, saying it may be time for a change in leadership within the Wilmington Police Department.

“I’m talking about the command staff of the police department, yes. I had a meeting with them yesterday and brought them in, and told them, ‘This can’t go on any longer.’ We have to make some adjustments here. Things have to change. If things don’t change, I will be looking for new leadership.”

Earlier this month, Williams told WHYY’s First that things will likely get worse before they get better and blamed the increase in shootings, in part, on high unemployment.   He also believes police have been forcing drug dealers to move from the corners they’ve been working.  That, in turn, has created a bit of a fight over turf, leading to more shootings.