Wilmington teen faces murder charge for July 23 shooting

A Wilmington teenager was arrested Friday and will face a murder charge for a Wilmington man shot and killed on July 23, city police said.

Taushia Mitchell, 18, was arrested in New York City on charges relating to the theft of a vehicle belonging to James Rogers, 29, who was shot and killed in the 500 block of W. Fourth St., Sgt. Andrea Janvier said.

Mitchell was identified as a suspect after an extensive investigation involving the Wilmington Police Department, the Delaware Department of Justice, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Federal Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives, Janvier said.

He is expected to face extradition next week from New York to Delaware to face his charge, she added.

The shooting, which was reported at 6 p.m. on a Thursday night, drew hundreds of people to the scene, where police moved in and out of a home on the 500 block of W. Fourth St.

Wilmington police were called to the scene for an unresponsive man, and Rogers, found shot in the head, was pronounced dead at the scene, Janvier said.

Many residents crowded street corners and backed up traffic to get a better look at the crime scene, which was taped off by police. Most said they weren't surprised by another shooting in the neighborhood, as numbers have continued to spike.

A day before the fatal shooting last week, a 37-year-old man was shot in the ankle just blocks away.

A uniformed officer assigned to the William "Hicks" Anderson Community Center in the 500 block of N. Madison St. notified police headquarters at 12:47 p.m. of possible shots fired in that area, Sgt. Andrea Janvier said.

The man was ultimately taken to emergency room by private vehicle, seeking medical care for an injured left ankle. No suspect information was available.

Wilmington Police Chief Bobby Cummings said last week that there are spikes in crime throughout the year, but that officers are doing their best to effectively combat the issues.

"Sometimes you have those ebbs and flows and right now ... shootings are up," he said.

To date, 16 people have been killed in the city of Wilmington this year. A total of 71 people were shot.

Contact Brittany Horn at (302) 324-2771 or bhorn@delawareonline.com. Follow her on Twitter at @brittanyhorn.