Dover, Del. – Tension between rival groups of friends from New Jersey and Washington, D.C., preceded the shooting at Delaware State University that wounded two people, students said Saturday.
While investigators worked to find the shooter who opened fire early Friday as several students left a campus dining hall, a classmate recalled how the violence had escalated from altercations during the week.
“They’ve been getting into it, New Jersey people and D.C. people,” said James Dillion, 23, of Cleveland. “Thursday night, they saw each other again and got into it.”
Nathaniel Pugh, 17, was in stable condition Saturday with an ankle wound, while Shalita Middleton, also 17, was shot in the abdomen and in serious condition, officials said.
University and city police questioned two students described as persons of interest but released them Saturday; they said they were seeking another person of interest. They had not labeled any of them a suspect.
“They did provide information to us that is very useful,” campus police chief James Overton said. “It has led us to more witnesses that we are seeking now, and one other person of interest who we hope will be able to shed light on this situation.”
Overton said police believe the gunman is a male Delaware State student who is no longer on campus. But he said police have not identified a suspect and refused to clarify the apparent contradiction.
University president Allen Sessoms said the campus would return to normal business today, and classes would resume Monday.
Ali Muhammad, 18, a freshman from Washington, D.C., said that since the school year started, he has heard of at least three fights involving cliques from New Jersey and the District of Columbia.
Earlier in the week, Muhammad said, a student from New Jersey cut the lip of a student from Washington with a key. “They said it was over a card game,” he said.
The Student Government Association posted a notice saying it plans a town hall meeting to discuss the shooting and ways to stop the violence.
