Delaware state police Sunday identified the deceased suspect in the double fatal shooting of an elderly couple at a cemetery.
Police said Middletown resident Sheldon C. Francis, 29, shot dead 85-year-old Lidia Marino and her husband 86-year-old Paul C. Marino on the grounds of the Delaware Veterans Memorial Cemetery in the city of Bear Friday morning.
Lidia Marino died at the scene while her husband died Saturday at an area hospital, where he had been taken in critical condition. The couple was from Elkton, Maryland.
The shooting prompted scores of officers to speed into the cemetery along the 2000 block of Chesapeake City Road.
Officers chased Francis as he fled into a wooded area, where he and police exchanged gunfire around noon. Images of the scene from SkyForce10 showed police responding with guns drawn, including a group of troopers crouched behind a divider on a highway.
Police issued a temporary shelter-in-place order for the area while some homes around the Brennen Estates neighborhood, which is adjacent to the cemetery, were evacuated as the manhunt carried on.
Police found Francis in the neighborhood around 4 p.m., dead from a gunshot wound. It was unclear if he died from a self-inflicted gunshot or from police gunfire.The state police homicide unit is still investigating the case. Anyone with information is asked to call detective M. Ryde at 302-698-8557. People can also send tips by dialing 1-800-TIP-3333 or submitting information online.
