DOVER — Two men were charged in connection with an officer-involved shooting on Tuesday afternoon, including a wanted suspect struck by gunfire four times during a pursuit.
Jamera Fisher, 25, of Dover, was hospitalized with non-life threatening injuries after being shot by a Delaware Probation and Parole officer in an alley at 12:22 p.m.
Authorities alleged that after ramming two patrol cars he aggressively drove a vehicle toward several officers before a weapon was discharged.
At the same time, a woman who resides near the area where the shooting occurred posted on the Internet video of the aftermath of the incident. The video also documents bystanders’ reactions in the crowd of 200 people who gathered to watch investigators at work.
Jamera Fisher, left, and Kylen Ewell were charged Tuesday after the indicent in the Capital Green neighborhood. (Submitted photos/Dover PD)
Police said Mr. Fisher suffered two graze wounds to his upper left arm, a graze wound to his neck, and an entry wound into his left side torso, and was transported to Bayhealth-Kent General Hospital in Dover.
He was listed in stable condition afterward, according to medical staff.
Dover Police alleged that Mr. Fisher was in possession of a loaded handgun, 39 bags (.59 grams) of heroin, prescription drugs, and 9.5 grams of marijuana when taken into custody in the 400 block of New Castle Avenue.
Mr. Fisher was charged with four counts of first-degree reckless endangering, and possession charges of firearm by person prohibited (drug possession), firearm during commission of felony, heroin, marijuana, controlled substance and drug paraphernalia, and third-degree conspiracy.
Mr. Fisher was given a secured $90,000 bond and held by the Delaware Department of Correction after an appearance at JP Court 7 in Dover.
Kylen Ewell, 22, of Harrington, was a passenger in Mr. Fisher’s vehicle. He was charged with possession of marijuana, third-degree conspiracy, possession of heroin, possession of controlled substance, and possession of drug paraphernalia.
He was held at James T. Vaughn Correctional Center near Smyrna on $1,100 secured bond.
On Wednesday, DOC spokeswoman Chelsea Hicks said the officer involved in the shooting was placed on administrative leave, pending the outcome of the investigation.
The officer began with the DOC in February 2004 and was assigned to the Safe Streets unit in March 2006.
Ms. Hicks said the DOC would not release any names of those involved “at this time.”
Delaware Probation and Parole teamed with Dover Police Street Crimes Unit in responding to a tip that Mr. Fisher was armed and possibly in the vicinity of the Capital Green neighborhood near a Dunkin Donuts store.
Mr. Fisher was wanted on a failure to appear capias, according to police.
Arriving officers spotted Mr. Fisher entering to drive a vehicle which then allegedly rammed two police vehicles and turned toward them before the gunfire.
An estimated crowd of 200 people gathered at the scene within 10 minutes of the shooting. No further incidents were reported, according to Dover Police spokesman Master Cpl. Mark Hoffman.
“For the most part, the onlookers were relatively peaceful and allowed police to do their work uninterrupted,” Cpl. Hoffman said.
A mother responds
Mr. Fisher’s mother Lelee, who lives in Alabama, said she received notice of an incident from a relative and then scanned social media in an worried attempt to get more information.
“That was not a good phone call,” she said via telephone on Wednesday.
Finally, she said she received an update on her son’s condition from his girlfriend at approximately 8 p.m.
“It was on my mind the whole day and I couldn’t sleep at night,” Ms. Fisher said. “We’re still going through it as a family, but we’re getting better.”
According to Ms. Fisher, police “[n]eed to go through training because there’s other ways to stop them. They can flatten tires, they can shoot tires … They think with their guns and not their minds, though.”
Dover resident Shamica Conner, 35, recorded a 35-minute live video of the aftermath that was posted on Facebook at 12:33 p.m. It shows people milling around the area and speaking among themselves as police worked at the scene.
As of just before 11 a.m. Wednesday, the video had drawn 2,000 views, 126 comments and 47 shares.
Just after 4 p.m., Ms. Conner said she had about 3,500 views and was still receiving friend requests to see it.
Ms. Conner said she heard the gunshots while taking a shower at her nearby residence and rushed to the scene when told that a relative of hers was possibly involved. That wasn’t the case, but she captured video for more than half an hour, documenting bystander reactions.
“Most of the people didn’t know why the two other (persons) were arrested,” she said.
Ms. Conner said she was told children were playing at a nearby basketball court when the gunfire erupted and her first concern was “praying to God nobody was injured.”
In the past two years Ms. Conner said she’s recorded seven to eight videos of police interactions with the public to document as much of the incidents as possible. .
Initially assisting in securing the scene and traffic control were Delaware State Police, Capitol Police, Delaware State University Police, and DNREC Police. Their officers left the scene once enough Dover Police personnel arrived, Cpl. Hoffman said.
The scene was cleared at approximately 2:55 p.m., authorities said.
Firearms seized overall
According to police, the incident led to seizure of the 71st firearm taken off the streets by the Drugs, Vice, and Organized Crime/Street Crimes Unit “with additional seizures from other divisions within the Dover Police Department.
“This unit works in close conjunction with Delaware Probation and Parole Officers to proactively address issues in high crime areas in the City of Dover,” Cpl. Hoffman said.
“The unit recently increased their staffing to seven Dover Police Officers and two Delaware Probation and Parole Officers in May 2016. The unit was originally comprised of three Dover Police Officers and two Delaware Probation and Parole Officers.”
Dover Police are investigating the incident in conjunction with the DOC and Delaware Attorney General’s Office. Authorities said more details will be released when available throughout the probe.