Friends and family are mourning the death of a Wilmington woman who was struck and killed by a stray bullet during a street brawl.
A vigil was held for 44-year-old Crystal Brown Monday night. Brown’s mother sobbed uncontrollably as loved ones tried to console her.
“They killed my baby,” she said. “I don’t know what to say.”
Brown, who lived alone in Wilmington and worked at a collection agency, was leaving Adams Market on North Adams Street around 9:45 p.m. on Sunday when she encountered several people fighting in the street.
As the crowd formed, at least one person took out a gun and fired several shots. Brown, who was not involved in the fight, was struck in the chest by a stray bullet. Bernard Reyes says he heard the gunshots, saw people running and then saw Brown lying in the middle of the street.
“It happened so fast you didn’t see nothing,” Reyes said.
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Brown was taken to Christiana Hospital where she was pronounced dead.
As investigators search for the gunman, police say few people in the neighborhood are talking and they have no suspects.
“That’s what’s ignorant about our neighborhood,” said Herbert Mells, Brown’s neighbor. “We see things going on and we keep our mouths shut.”
Tiffany Smith, a friend of Brown’s, says she’s fed up with the violence in her community.
“Our neighborhood and childhood friends are killing each other off,” Smith said. “Enough is enough! Put the guns down!”
Those who loved and knew Brown, including her sister Sheila Lewis and brother Harry Brown, are hoping that someone will step forward.
“I’m going to miss my sister,” said Sheila Lewis. “I just hope and pray this won’t be one of those cases that is just tossed aside.”
“I ask anybody in the community, if they know anything, to just help us out,” Brown said. “This person really needs to be caught.”
If you have any information on the shooting, please call Wilmington Police.
