Wilmington man shot teen, sparked police chase weeks later, officials say
An accused gang member who was arrested following a mid-August police chase and rollover crash has now been charged in connection with a non-fatal shooting that happened less than two weeks before the wreck, police said.
Wilmington police charged 18-year-old Nazir Henry with second-degree assault and two firearms-related charges for the Aug. 6 shooting of a 16-year-old whom police have not publicly identified.
ORIGINAL STORY:Wilmington shooting sends 16-year-old to hospital, police say
The shooting occurred in Wilmington's Browntown neighborhood at about 9:30 p.m., police said at the time. The victim was taken to the hospital where he was treated and released.
Wilmington police have released little information about what led up to the shooting or a possible motive, saying only that detectives identified Henry as a suspect and recently charged him.
He is already in prison for probation violation, court records obtained by DelawareOnline/The News Journal show. His criminal record dates back to March 2013, when he was 12 years old and charged with offensive touching.
While that charge was dismissed, Henry continued to have brushes with the law, including pleading guilty to carrying a concealed deadly weapon in 2016, when he was 15.
Two years later, Henry was indicted on gang participation charges, records show. Prosecutors said he was a member of the Shoot To Kill gang, a group of Wilmington men who prosecutors say are responsible for a rash of shooting and deaths over the past few years along with a similar group, Only My Brothers.
The gang participation charge, along with two other weapon offenses, was dropped when Henry pleaded guilty to second-degree conspiracy, which landed him 152 days in prison and one year probation.
He violated that probation this summer when he became involved in an incident at a party where gunshots were fired, court records show.
STORY:How a party near Mill Creek ended with gun shots, a police chase and a multi-vehicle crash
According to police, on Aug. 18, New Castle County officers were dispatched to a home in Oakwood Hills, near Mill Creek, at about 5 p.m. after receiving a noise complaint.
The homeowner was given a warning and the party quieted down, though officers were called back a few hours later for reports of gunshots, police said at the time.
Several 911 callers reported the suspects had a rifle and a handgun, and said there may be people injured.
Responding police located four suspects, one of which was Henry, driving on McKennan's Church Road toward Milltown Road.
When officers tried to stop the vehicle, it fled onto Limestone Road and headed south, police said. The vehicle then turned on West Market Street (Del. 4).
When the vehicle entered Newport and tried to turn, it hit several parked cars and flipped onto its roof near Dom’s Pizza, police said. Two of the four teens in the car fled, while the other two stayed with the vehicle.
All were arrested, and Henry was later charged with several firearms charges and resisting arrest, police said. He's been in prison since Aug. 19, Deputy Bureau Chief of Prisons Paul Shavack said.
Wilmington police charged Henry last week in the Aug. 6 shooting, and he was later arraigned in the Justice of the Peace Court on $65,000 secured bail.
Send story tips or ideas to Isabel Hughes at ihughes@delawareonline.com or 302-324-2785. For all things breaking news, follow her on Twitter at @izzihughes_
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