Protesters demand reopening of Delaware police shooting

WILMINGTON, Del. – Dozens of people marched Saturday in Wilmington to demand the reopening of the case in the 2015 fatal police shooting of a Black man in a wheelchair.

The demonstration for Jeremy McDole moved through the city, making stops at the Wilmington Police headquarters and a state office building, the News Journal of Wilmington reported. The march was led by the man’s sister.

McDole, 28, was sitting in his wheelchair when he was shot and killed in September 2015 in Wilmington, after police received a 911 call about a man with a gun. A bystander’s cellphone footage showed officers repeatedly telling McDole to drop his weapon and raise his hands, with McDole reaching for his waist area before shots erupted.

A federal judge in 2017 approved the city’s $1.5 million settlement with McDole’s family.

The protesters Saturday shouted, “Justice for Jeremy McDole” and “Shotgun Joe has got to go,” referring to Senior Cpl. Joseph Dellose, who shot McDole.

A report from then-Attorney General Matt Denn’s office concluded that Dellose discharging his firearm created uncertainty among other responding officers who, not knowing where the gunfire came from, also opened fire on McDole. Denn’s office criticized Dellose for “extraordinarily poor police work” and said he should not carry a firearm.

None of the four officers who were involved are still with the Wilmington Police Department.