Family questions use of deadly force after shooting involving police in Wilmington
WILMINGTON, Del. (CBS) -- A police shooting in Delaware Monday night leaves a man dead and a woman hurt. It happened near a 7-Eleven in Richardson Park near Wilmington just after 7:30 p.m.
"They shot my kid," mother Melissa Edelmann said.
Andrew Edelmann's grieving mother says her 22-year-old son didn't deserve to be shot and killed by police.
"My son's birthday was today," Melissa Edelmann said. "He would have been 23."
Security video shows a Hyundai Santa Fe parked at a 7-Eleven Monday night when what appears to be a police pickup truck slowly drives around the corner and blocks the suspect's vehicle in.
In only a few seconds an officer steps outside as the suspect's vehicle drives forward and hits the pickup truck's open door. Then the officer with New Castle County police opens fire at the vehicle before it crashes into a second police cruiser that had its lights on.
Authorities say a 21-year-old woman was injured and Edelmann of New Castle was killed.
"He did not deserve this," aunt Elaine Lumb said.
Edelmann's aunt claims the police pickup truck was unmarked. Police would not confirm or say if the officers were in uniform or plain clothes.
There was shattered glass on the ground in the parking lot of the 7-Eleven where the shooting happened.
Police tell CBS News Philadelphia officers were doing a drug investigation and gave commands to stop but the suspect ignored police and drove in the direction of the officer.
"A little concerning," James Hutson said.
Hutson runs a store that's across the street from where it went down and believes police were doing their job.
"You can't help but be concerned when they put their life on the line," Hutson said.
Police say they recovered illegal drugs from Edelmann's car along with a loaded assault-style weapon. CBS News Philadelphia asked Edelmann's family their response to that.
"There's a lot of people out here doing things they shouldn't do but does that mean they should be gunned down by the people who are put here to protect and serve us?" Lumb said.
The officer involved in the shooting has been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation which is protocol.
