More shots fired at DSU after 3 shot at Saturday event

Three people were shot at a Delaware State University student event Saturday, resulting in a police search across the campus and nearby areas.

The shooting was reported at about 8 p.m. at a school-sanctioned sorority and fraternity cookout event, university President Harry L. Williams said in a statement.

Early Sunday morning, shots rang out again, this time in the parking lot at University Courtyard, a DSU-run student housing complex just off the main campus. No one was injured in the second incident.

At about 1:30 a.m. school officials sent out an alert notifying students that shots were fired at 1:15 a.m. and also released a description of a suspect.

Police were looking for a black man with short dreadlocks, 5-feet-9 to 5-feet-11 and wearing a tan and blue long sleeve T-shirt and white sneakers, according to the alert. The suspect was driving a dark colored 4-door vehicle.

Students were encouraged to remain inside.

The victims from the earlier shooting were taken to Kent General Hospital in Dover and were reported in stable condition late Saturday, Williams said.

The names of the victims were not being released late Saturday. University spokesman Carlos Holmes said he didn't know if they are Delaware State students.

The shooting was on the school's main campus during Field Day, a large annual cookout that began at 4 p.m. and was scheduled to end at 9 p.m. Photos posted on social media indicate thousands of people were in attendance at the picnic-like event.

"It looks like this happened in the middle of it," Holmes said. "We've directed our students to get into their dormitories and stay there, and we've directed outsiders to get off of our campus at this point."

Holmes declined to say whether any suspects have been identified, stating only that the Delaware State University Police Department is leading the investigation with assistance from the Dover Police Department, Delaware State Police and other law enforcement agencies.

DSU students took to Twitter just after 8 p.m. to report hearing shots fired on campus. Campus officials sent out a text alert about the shooting just 9 p.m., advising that people "remain inside until further notice."

Police, some carrying assault rifles, from the Dover, Milford, Smyrna and Wyoming departments responded to the scene. A helicopter shined a spotlight onto the ground as part of the search.

Two police cars slowly patrolled up and down the concrete paths in the main area, blaring sirens to get crowds to disperse. Police cars and a prisoner transport van were stationed in front of the University Courtyard Apartments located off College Avenue.

No arrests had been made as of 11:45 p.m. Saturday.

"The safety of our students continues to be paramount and our police will aggressively continue their investigation until an arrest or arrests are made in this shooting incident," Williams said.

After police dispersed the crowds from DSU, hundreds of students and campus visitors reportedly moved to areas surrounding the campus. Dover resident Richard Keithly said he saw police directly large crowds away from the Best Buy parking lot across the street from DSU's campus. A nearby convenience store also closed early, he said.

Short videos reportedly recorded before and after the incident and uploaded to social media sites show crowds of students with police sirens heard in the background, officers ushering students away from campus and a fight involving several people.

The last shooting on Delaware State University's Dover campus was in early November when a student was shot in the chest during what police described as a drug-related robbery.

That incident occurred in the parking lot of the Living and Learning Commons residence hall, a former Sheraton hotel on DuPont Highway, about a half-mile north of the main campus.

Two Dover residents were charged with first-degree assault and weapons charges.

At that time, Williams posted an open letter on the university's website alerting students, faculty, staff and alumni to the "isolated shooting incident."

In the letter, Williams said DSU "will review our security policies and procedures to help ensure we are doing all we can to foster a safe, comfortable environment conducive to learning."

Contact Scott Goss at sgoss@delawareonline.com or on Twitter @ScottGossDel.