Fatal shooting at Dover shopping centre after DSU homecoming crowds dispersed

One man was killed and another injured in a shooting at Dover Commons shopping centre on Saturday night following Delaware State University homecoming events.

One dead, one hospitalised after gunfire erupts in Dover parking lot

One man was killed and a second left hospitalised after a shooting in the parking lot of the Dover Commons shopping centre on Saturday night, doverpolice.org reports.

The incident occurred at approximately 9:19 p.m. on 10 October 2026 in the 1200 block of North DuPont Highway, Dover, Delaware — shortly after thousands of students and visitors had been directed to leave Delaware State University's homecoming events at around 6:00 p.m.

The dispersal of crowds from the DSU campus sent large numbers of people to nearby shopping centres and other locations. More than 50 officers from the Dover, New Castle County, Wilmington, Smyrna, and Camden police departments, along with Delaware State Police, were already deployed in the area responding to multiple disturbances, including fights, disorderly behaviour, and reports of shots fired at several locations.

Officers managing crowds in a nearby parking lot heard gunshots and observed people fleeing the Dover Commons lot. They located a 21-year-old male with a gunshot wound to his upper body. A second victim, identified as Nasir Cox, 22, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was found nearby also suffering from gunshot wounds.

Heavy vehicle and pedestrian traffic along the Route 13 corridor between DSU and the surrounding shopping centres had brought the area to a complete standstill, which would have delayed ambulance response. Officers transported both victims directly to Bayhealth Kent Campus in police vehicles to give them the best chance of survival. Cox later died from his injuries. The 21-year-old male remains hospitalised in a stable condition.

The Dover Police Department's Criminal Investigations Unit is continuing to investigate the shooting. Lieutenant Mark Hoffman is the department's public information officer for the case.

Anyone with information, photographs, or video footage from the area at the time of the shooting is asked to contact the Dover Police Department Criminal Investigations Unit at 302-736-7111. Tips can also be submitted through Delaware Crime Stoppers or the Dover Police Department's online contact form. Tipsters may remain anonymous.

Source: Google News MT — Crime (en)