The shooting occurred around 3:30 p.m. at the hospital, located in the 500 block of West 14th Street, according to Wilmington Police Chief Wilfredo Campos. The gunfire sent police pouring into the building, triggering a full lockdown as officers swept through patient rooms, hallways, and corridors searching for the shooter.
One of the two victims later died from their injuries. The identities of both victims and the condition of the surviving victim are being withheld pending family notification, police said.
A preliminary investigation determined the shooting was a targeted, isolated incident. The suspect, a 23-year-old male, was apprehended in Philadelphia, and charges and extradition to Delaware are pending.
For patients already inside the hospital, the sudden police response was jarring. Kristen Lackford, who was recovering from feeding tube surgery, said the door to her room was abruptly kicked open by law enforcement officers in helmets and carrying large weapons. She watched as officers searched beneath her bed and inside her bathroom, then marked her door with a large letter "C" and left without offering any explanation.
It was only later, when Lackford learned a shooter might still be somewhere inside the building, that the full weight of the situation set in.
"There was absolutely nothing that I could do to make myself feel safe," she said.
ChristianaCare, which operates the hospital, said in an emailed statement that it diverted patients from its emergency department and took steps to safeguard patients, caregivers, and visitors. "This is an active police investigation for a possible active shooter," the statement read. The lockdown was lifted by Tuesday evening.
At a press conference Tuesday night, Wilmington Mayor John Carney addressed the victims and hospital staff who sheltered in place as law enforcement cleared the building room by room.
"If ever there is a place that should be a sanctuary for such violence, that is the place," Carney said.
Campos said investigators were working to determine how the suspect exited the building and declined to release information about the victims out of respect for their families.
Wilmington, Delaware's largest city with approximately 71,000 residents, sits roughly 25 miles south of Philadelphia.
The Wilmington Police Department Victim Services Unit is available to support those affected and can be reached at (302) 576-3622. The WPD Youth Response Unit, which provides free counseling to children and families exposed to potentially traumatizing events, can be reached at (302) 576-3183.
The investigation remains active and ongoing, and police said additional information will be released as it becomes available.