One killed, another injured in shooting at Wilmington hospital

Gunfire inside ChristianaCare’s Wilmington Hospital turned a place built for urgent care into the center of a fast-moving police investigation Tuesday, leaving one person dead, another injured and the hospital campus locked down for hours. Wilmington police said the shooter remained at large after officers searched the building and later lifted the lockdown.

The shooting was reported at about 3:30 p.m. at the hospital on West 14th Street in Wilmington, according to police and local officials. Wilmington Police Chief Wilfredo Campos said two people suffered gunshot wounds and one died from their injuries. He said investigators were still working to confirm the suspect’s identity and would not yet release the victims’ names while families were being notified.

Early information suggested the episode may have been a workplace shooting involving hospital employees, though officials stressed that detail remained preliminary. Police said the building was cleared and the gunman was not inside when officers searched the facility. Wilmington police were working with the FBI and ATF as part of the investigation, reflecting the scale of the response to a violent incident in a crowded medical center.

ChristianaCare’s Wilmington Hospital is one of Delaware’s largest hospitals and the state’s second-largest, making the shooting especially disruptive in Wilmington, the state’s largest city. The attack prompted a large law-enforcement presence, including SWAT teams, and forced a temporary lockdown that affected patients, caregivers and staff moving through the campus. Roughly 20 people had participated in an active shooter course on the bottom floor of the hospital shortly before the shooting, a striking reminder of how hospitals are increasingly planning for threats that once seemed unthinkable in a care setting.

ChristianaCare leadership said they were cooperating with law enforcement. Jenn Schwartz, the incoming president and chief executive, said caregivers were still showing up for the next shift despite the violence, describing the scene as tragic and heartbreaking. Wilmington Mayor John Carney condemned the shooting and said a hospital should be a sanctuary from such harm, while Delaware Gov. Matt Meyer said people deserve to feel safe at home, at work, at school and while seeking care at a hospital.