Dover Police Beat: Gunman Terrance Fletcher reported on streets; confronted and shot by Dover Police Officer

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Dover Police Beat

DOVER, DEL. —  Yet another criminal running loose and flashing a gun was reported to Dover Police and this story came to a good ending when the officer took the thug down with a shot and the best thing about this story is that the thug was not killed and will be alive to face a jury and do a lot of time in the slammer.

Now available on newsstands in Delaware, Maryland and Virginia
Now available on newsstands in Delaware, Maryland and Virginia

Police say that on Friday, August 28th, the Dover Police Department was involved in a shooting incident involving 21-year-old Terrance Fletcher.  Hours after the shooting a press conference was held to provide what limited details were available to the Dover Police Department during the preliminary stages of the investigation.  A few hours after the press conference, the Dover Police Department released a press release with more information, including the crimes that Fletcher was charged with.  Throughout the incident and its aftermath, the department stated that it has continued to pledge to be as transparent as allowed by law by releasing details as they become available.

Dover Police officer gives aid to gunman shot by officer
Dover Police officer gives aid to gunman shot by officer

Shortly before 1:00PM on Friday, Aug. 28, 2015, officers from the Street Crimes Unit received a tip from a past-proven reliable informant that Fletcher was in the area of South New Street and was in possession of a handgun and provided an accurate description of his location and appearance.  Police say that on that day and time, the unit consisted of one Delaware Probation and Parole officer and two Dover Police officers.  They responded to the area to investigate the information they received.  Those officers are highly familiar with the area and due to the nature of the call, chose to place officers on each side of the block if the suspect chose to run from the officers.

Area where Fletcher ran towards cop with a gun.
Area where Fletcher ran towards cop with a gun.

Fletcher, who at the time of this incident was on active probation, was contacted by the Probation and Parole Officer in the 100 Block of South New Street.  Fletcher chose to run from the Probation and Parole officer that attempted to contact him on New Street, proceeding east through a pathway between 111 and 115 South New Street, which connects to an adjacent parking lot.

Ex-con running from probation officers was armed as he ran towards cop

This image shows the pathway between 111 and 115 South New Street that Fletcher ran through.
This image shows the pathway between 111 and 115 South New Street that Fletcher ran through.

A Dover Police officer, who was positioned in the parking lot of 120 South Governors Avenue, confronted Fletcher as he ran towards him. The officer saw Fletcher with a gun in his hand and fired his departmental issued service weapon, striking Fletcher once in the upper thigh.

As Fletcher was struck, he threw a .38 caliber revolver, which was recovered by investigators on scene shortly after the incident.  Immediately after Fletcher was struck, officers radioed for assistance and began rendering first aid.  During an interview with investigators on September 1st, Fletcher admitted to possessing the handgun that is described above.

heatmap1As other officers worked to secure the scene, emergency medical workers arrived and transported Fletcher to Bayhealth Kent General Hospital for treatment of a non-life threatening wound to his leg.  Later in the evening, arrest warrants were obtained for Fletcher for the crimes of Carrying a Concealed Deadly Weapon and Possession of a Firearm by a Person Prohibited.  He was arraigned by a magistrate judge from the Justice of the Peace Court 7 while at the hospital.  Fletcher was committed to the Delaware Department of Corrections on $20,000 cash bond after the arraignment.  After Fletcher was committed, he was turned over to the Delaware Department of Corrections for supervision.  Fletcher has since been located at James T. Vaughn Correctional Center.

Several media outlets falsely reported thug was hit in the spine, say cops

Several media outlets have inaccurately reported that Fletcher suffered a spinal injury.  The Dover Police Department was advised by medical staff that Fletcher suffered a soft tissue wound from the shot, with no bones or vital organs being struck.

Fletcher is expected to be released from a prison infirmary and joining the pre-trial population at James T. Vaughn Correctional Center shortly.

Agitators Attempted to Inflame Others As Police Investigation Was Underway

The area that the shooting took place was on the north side parking lot of an adjacent daycare.  Despite numerous incorrect reports in the media, there were no children outside on the playground at the time this event took place.  This was also confirmed by staff working at the daycare at the time of the incident.

This thermal image overlay of downtown Dover shows hot spot of crime; could this be why some groups don't want cops to increase patrols? They clearly want a "cop-free zone"
This thermal image overlay of downtown Dover shows hot spot of crime; could this be why some groups don’t want cops to increase patrols? They clearly want a “cop-free zone”

As officers attempted to secure the scene of the shooting and render first aid to Fletcher, a large crowd gathered in the 100 Block of South New Street, with several persons becoming disorderly and hostile towards police.  Because of this, the Dover Police Department was forced to call in multiple police agencies to maintain the integrity of the incident scene and assist in the dispersing of the crowd.  Despite the tensions among the growing crowd, the officers handled the situation with the poise and professionalism they are trained to use and were able to diffuse and disband the crowd while making just two arrests.

As officers dealt with the hostile crowd, they were also aided by various community leaders in calming the crowd.  The Dover Police Department thanks the agencies and community members that assisted in our efforts and allowed the situation to be resolved as peacefully as possible.

At this time, the incident is still an active investigation, and the Dover Police Department must treat it as such until it has been resolved.  This includes a separate and impartial investigation by the Delaware Department of Justice Office of Civil Rights and Public Trust.  The officer who fired his weapon remains on administrative leave with pay, pending the outcome of the investigations.  This is standard department policy in officer involved shootings.

Dover Police zero in on downtown Dover because that is where the crime is!

Throughout the days following the officer involved shooting, there have been many questions as to the reasons why Dover Police Department has focused on downtown areas for proactive enforcement.  The downtown area has been plagued with crime, mostly committed by persons who do not reside in the area at all.  A look at press releases issued about arrests in the area of concern will show that a large amount of people arrested reside outside the downtown area.  It has been the primary location of quality of life crimes and issues, violent crime, and drug-related crimes and the Dover Police Department will continue to address these issues in those areas to make it a safer community.

The below heat map images are taken from the Raids Online crime mapping software program, which is available to the public via the Dover Police Department  website (www.doverpolice.org/raids-online/).  The heat map images show that the areas most affected by crime are in brighter colors, with red being the highest.  The heat map images are based on data collected throughout 2015.

  • DOVER, DEL. --- Yet another criminal running loose and flashing a gun was reported to Dover Police and this story came to a good ending when the officer took the thug down with a shot and the best thing about this story is that the thug was not killed and will be alive to face a jury and do a lot of time in the slammer.

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