GEORGETOWN, Del. — Georgetown leaders are planning a candlelight vigil Sunday evening to honor law enforcement after a trooper was shot and killed at a Division of Motor Vehicles building in Wilmington Tuesday.
Georgetown Mayor Bill West said he and Sen. Brian Pettyjohn are organizing the vigil for 6 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 28, on The Circle in downtown Georgetown.
“This is an opportunity to show we care and we respect our law enforcement and what they do each day,” West said in a statement.
Delaware State Police said the deadly shooting happened Tuesday afternoon at the Wilmington DMV on Hessler Boulevard. Police said a 44-year-old man who was at the DMV approached a Delaware State Trooper working an overtime assignment at the reception desk around 2:30 p.m., pulled out a gun and shot the trooper.
Investigators said the trooper pushed a DMV employee out of harm’s way as the man opened fire again, shooting the trooper a second time. A New Castle County police officer arrived, confronted the man and shot him.
The trooper and the man were taken to local hospitals, where both were pronounced dead. Their names have not been released by authorities as of late Wednesday morning.
The vigil in Georgetown carries added meaning for the community. Georgetown Police Department Officer Chad Spicer was killed while protecting his community on Sept. 1, 2009, a loss that still resonates deeply with locals and law enforcement across Sussex County.
"The Georgetown community understands all too well the profound pain felt by families, friends, and colleagues when those who are charged with protecting us are taken far too soon," the vigil page reads. "We invite you to join us for a candlelight vigil in the heart of our town on Sunday, December 28, at 6 p.m."