Wilmington community reacts to stray bullet incident

Community leaders in Wilmington’s Ninth Ward neighborhood are outraged after a 56-year old woman, who was sitting on her front porch with a grandchild, was hit by a stray bullet in broad daylight on Monday.

This incident hits close to home to the Wilmington Peackeepers group because the shooting victim, Cheryl Allen, is the wife of a Peacekeeper. The Wilmington group is known to rally around communities plagued by violence.

“When a person can’t even sit on their porch with their grandchild and just have an evening of peace, you have to question, what’s going on in the community,” said Brother Lamont X of the Wilmington Peacekeepers.

According to investigators, two men began shooting at an unknown person or persons from the intersection of W. 25th and N. Madison Streets. Allen, who lives on W. 25th Street, was struck in the chest by one of several shots fired. She was immediately taken to Christiana Hospital. She was not an intended target.

“Only by the grace of God, it looks like this sister is going to come out of this and be alright,” Brother X said.

State Rep. Charles Potter Jr., D-Wilmington North, represents the community where the incident occurred. Potter said he thinks the shooting is related to drug houses in the area.

“We’re going to find out who did this, have those houses under surveillance, stop the drug trading in the area, and clean it up,” Potter said.

He said it’ll also take a group of dedicated people in the neighborhood to come together.

“You have to be aggressive. You need to be aggressive to the point and say I’ve invested in this neighborhood, we don’t want this here,” Potter said.

The Wilmington Peacekeepers is planning to host a community rally in the wake of this incident. Wilmington City Councilwoman Sherry Dorsey-Walker is also planning an anti-violence event this week.

Police are actively searching for the two shooters who fled the scene and are asking anyone with information to call the confidential tip line at (302) 576-3990.