Police search for assailant in fatal shooting inside Delaware hospital

The main entrance to Wilmington Hospital is shown in the aftermath of a shooting on Tuesday, June 16, 2026, in Wilmington, Del.

WILMINGTON, Del. — An assailant who shot two people inside a Delaware hospital Tuesday -- killing one -- remained at large hours later, police said.

The shooting was reported at about 3:30 p.m. at Wilmington Hospital, Wilmington Police Chief Wilfredo Campos told a news conference Tuesday night. He declined to release information about the identities of the victims or the condition of the person who was shot and survived “out of respect for the families,” he said.

Investigators were working to identify and find the shooter and trying to determine how the person left the building, Campos said.

ChristianaCare, which operates the hospital, said in an emailed statement it had diverted patients from its emergency department and was “taking all appropriate steps to ensure the safety of our patients, caregivers and visitors.”

“This is an active police investigation for a possible active shooter,” the statement said.

A lockdown at the hospital had been lifted by Tuesday night.

At the news conference, Wilmington Mayor John Carney acknowledged the victims and hospital workers who hid as law enforcement went from room to room, clearing the building.

“If ever there is a place that should be a sanctuary for such violence, that is the place,” Carney said.

Kristen Lackford was recovering from feeding tube surgery when her hospital room door was suddenly kicked open by law enforcement with large guns and helmets, she said.

Lackford said it was scary watching the team search under her bed and in her bathroom before marking her door with a large letter “C” and never explaining why they were there.

When she finally learned what had happened and that the shooter could still be in the building, Lackford said she felt like “a sitting duck.”

“There was absolutely nothing that I could do to make myself feel safe,” she said.

Violence has been a persistent problem at hospitals across the U.S.

Wilmington, which has about 71,000 residents and is Delaware’s largest city, is about 25 miles (40 km) south of Philadelphia.