ELLENDALE, Del. - Ellendale Mayor Samuel Noto is speaking out for the first time following a deadly Halloween night shooting that killed 17-year-old girl and left eight others hurt near Old State Road.
Love Cannon, 17, of Seaford, was the only person killed in the shooting, which happened around 10 p.m. on Oct. 31. The eight other people who were shot ranged in age from 17 to 22.
Less than a week after the shooting, Noto said he is looking for ways to prevent similar violence in the future.
"I think it's terrible. I'm trying to see what we might be able to do to stop that from occurring again in the future."
According to Noto, this is not the first time a shooting has happened in that same area.
"The incident that occurred, you know, very tragic incident. We had a similar one occur at the same location a couple of years ago."
Noto also revealed that the town recently installed cameras near the area where the shooting happened, although they were primarily intended to monitor traffic.
"We just put up some cameras on that particular corner in town. Now, the thing is, with those cameras, it's mostly aimed toward traffic."
The town of Ellendale said it has handed over all camera footage from Halloween night to assist with the investigation.
Ellendale Police Chief Bruce Von Goerres described the shooting as a tragedy and emphasized that this type of violence is not typical for the town.
"This is a terrible tragedy, and it it's not the normal."
Von Goerres also expressed hope that the person responsible would be caught.
"The perpetrator will be apprehended. And they need to be brought to justice"
A neighbor who lives near the field where the shooting happened said the area is extremely dark at night, with no lighting.
Noto says that while troopers are still investigating, the town has dealt with an individual hosting large gatherings in that space in the past.
"There's some kind of potential gray area here as to whose property it actually is, and whether the person hosting these events there actually has a right to even be on those properties, holding those events in that location."Â
The shooter remains at large, and authorities have not released any information about who may be responsible. As the investigation continues, eight people are recovering from the shooting, while the community mourns the death of Cannon.
