Man fatally shot Wednesday morning in Wilmington's Hilltop neighborhood
Wilmington police swarmed the city's Hilltop neighborhood Wednesday morning after a 42-year-old man was killed on West Third Street, marking the third homicide this week.
This shooting comes less than 16 hours after a 22-year-old man was fatally shot Tuesday afternoon in the city's East Side community.
Wednesday's killing marked the fifth homicide in Wilmington in the last two weeks.
Background: Man killed in Wilmington shooting Tuesday, marking a grim increase in city's gun homicides
More than a dozen police officers were on the scene Wednesday morning, investigating in the 1200 block of W. Third St.
At least one man could be seen sobbing and screaming along North Harrison Street as a Wilmington police officer consoled him. Later, family or friends wrapped their arms around him as they ducked under crime scene tape, escorted by police toward where the shooting occurred.
A handful of Wilmington firefighters were also on the scene, investigating a gas leak in the same block as the shooting. Several residents said one of the bullets nicked a gas line or meter in the area.
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Officers could also be seen scouring the street, several hundred feet from a Latin American Community Center's English as a Second Language building. Police had access to the building blocked off for much of the morning.
A number of nearby residents gathered near the scene, observing. One woman said she didn't know what occurred, but was "being nosy."
Police largely stood in circles, talking on the street. One detective could be seen marking on a clipboard.
Several evidence markers, apparently marking where shell casings landed, were placed on the sidewalk and in the street. A detective was also taking photos of the markers.
A wooden door leading to an alleyway had several bullet holes in it. Residents speculated that the shooter escaped through the alley.
Of the five people killed in the last two weeks, all have been men. Their ages range from 19-42.
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This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Man fatally shot Wednesday morning in Wilmington's Hilltop neighborhood
