WILMINGTON – Police in Wilmington shot and killed a 19-year-old man during a chase after they say the suspect pointed a gun towards a large crowd.
What we know:
Investigators say officers were patrolling near the intersection of 24th and Jessup streets in Wilmington just after 11 p.m. Wednesday night when they observed a large gathering.
While officers were monitoring the crowd, investigators say they saw a man armed with a handgun exit a residence and point the firearm towards the crowd. When officers approached the 19-year-old, he fled on foot, according to police.
During the chase, an officer “engaged the suspect and discharged their department-issued firearm, striking the suspect.” He was taken to a local hospital where he died.
Police say officers recovered a loaded firearm from the suspect. No officers were injured in the encounter.
What they’re saying:
Durrell Dollard, the father of the 19-year-old, identified his son to FOX 29 News as Kadir Skinner.
Dollard said he was up the street when he heard a “commotion,” and soon found out that his son had been shot. When he went to ask police what happened and identified himself as Skinner’s father, Dollard said he was maced by an officer.
The heartbroken father said police did not tell him what happened to Skinner, learning hours later at the hospital that police had made a social media post about the incident.
“It’s not right,” Dollard said. “Nobody came and talked to me and said anything to me. It’s not right.”
Dollard added that witnesses he’s spoken to have a different account of the incident than what police have shared.
“What [police] are saying is totally different from what I am hearing,” Dollard said. “The community is saying something totally different from what the police officer gave me – make it make sense to me.”
“I’m not OK I want transparency on what happened to my son. I’m not OK,” said Rashai Skinner, Kadir’s mother.
“We got another one lost another Wilmington child,” said Dollard.
Dollard said he heard his son say, “‘I can’t breathe. I can’t breathe,’ and they still put handcuffs on him and put him in back of police car…I feel like my son was hunted. Shot in the back two to three times. I don’t know I’m not getting any information.”
A local pastor, Derrick Johnson, said, “We’re gonna stick together stand for what’s right and get justice for this young man and his family.”
What’s next:
The officer involved in the shooting has been placed on administrative leave during the investigation, per department policy.
