A male victim was found in critical condition from a gunshot wound upon arrival. Since this is an ongoing investigation, WPD did not release the identity of the victim. But Brandon Shope, a spokesperson for the department, said the victim was taken to the hospital for treatment.
According to WPD, the suspected shooter ran into a nearby house and barricaded himself inside. Within the hour, WPD had the Cape Fear Regional Special Teams Crisis Negotiation Unit on the scene to try to draw the shooter out.
Shope said he could not speak to whether the shooter was acting out a motive or not due to the active status of the search.
WPD sent out an update just before 2:30 p.m. stating that the Crisis Negotiation Team was not able to make contact with the suspect. The SWAT team on site sent in a robotic device to get a remote look inside the house.
Some bystanders told WHQR that tear gas was also deployed into the residence as well.
“They went in with the mirror lamp. They went in with a ladder. So evidently they haven't found them yet, but they shot the tear gas and all that in already, and a team of them was just in there, so I didn't see them come out yet. A team of SWAT," a bystander told WHQR.
Here’s what another bystander saw: “They sent a little robot in there first, you know, to make sure it was safe, I guess. And then they and then they came in the Swat, you know, armed up touching each other's shoulders.”
After clearing the house visually, officers went inside and determined that the residence was unoccupied. One concerned neighbor suspects the shooter may have escaped through the back door.
Another neighbor told WHQR he'd seen frequent signs of drug-related activity near the house in question, and he suspects that this incident may have been drug-related.
“I know everybody down there sells drugs. This area is live every day. Cops. Ambulance. Fire trucks," the neighbor told WHQR.
This is one of a few violent incidents that has occurred in or near the Creekwood neighborhood so far this year, leaving residents feeling uncertain about their safety.
“Even when the police station back there, it's just like, not enough, or something, they not doing enough. I don’t know. People just crazy," a neighbor told WHQR, referring to the Haynes Lacewell training facility, a WPD station that's directly adjacent to Creekwood.
Shope said WPD officers are doing everything in their power to keep neighborhoods like Creekwood safe:
“Our officers work around the clock, 24/7 to protect and serve the city of Wilmington to keep it as safe as physically possible. Any shooting that occurs within the city limits is taken with the utmost seriousness as is any crime.”
There has been a string of recent shootings, including one at Wooster and South 10th streets early this morning. Another one, which left one man dead, took place in downtown Wilmington early on Sunday morning. Additionally, early on Saturday morning, there was a shooting on Colonial Drive where a young man is alleged to have fatally shot his father. There have been no reports that these shootings have been related.
Anyone with information is asked to please call the WPD at (910) 343-3600 or use the anonymous Tip 411 app.
