New Castle, Del.- A 28-year-old man was suspected of shoplifting at a Lowe’s hardware store in New Castle, Delaware. The man was fatally shot by two state troopers on Thursday morning, according to Delaware State Police. The incident occurred just before 7:30 a.m. at the store situated on Hessler Boulevard.
The police were responding to a shoplifting call when they reportedly saw the man, identified as a known fugitive, exiting the store with a cart full of merchandise. The man then got into a parked car behind the Lowe’s after the troopers approached him and attempted to flee the scene, hitting an unmarked state police cruiser in the process.
The police reported that the man ignored several commands to stop and resisted when the troopers tried to extract him from the vehicle. The troopers then fired at the man as he continued to drive away, posing an imminent threat to the officers, according to the police. The troopers provided immediate aid at the scene until the man was transported to a nearby hospital, where he was later pronounced dead. The man’s identity is being withheld until his family can be notified.
The two involved troopers have been put on administrative leave pending an investigation into the incident. Both troopers sustained non-life-threatening injuries and have since been discharged from the hospital.
The incident has left the community in shock, with many expressing their disbelief that a known fugitive was shot and killed by state troopers after allegedly attempting to shoplift from a local store. While some residents expressed fear and concern over the recent trend of increased crime in the area, others remained undeterred.