Campus Alert Archive
DSU

Bullet-Riddled Cars and Buildings: Saturday Night Gunfire at DSU's Courtyard Apartments Triggers Overnight Shelter-in-Place

DEshootingemergency notificationmedium confidence
Confirmed Threat

On the evening of September 7, 2024, shots were fired at the University Courtyard Apartments near Delaware State University's campus in Dover. Officers responding at approximately 10:30 PM found several vehicles and buildings damaged by gunfire but no injuries. DSU issued an emergency shelter-in-place alert at 11:08 PM that was not lifted until 5:41 AM Sunday. Two suspects, including a DSU student who was later expelled, were arrested.

Alerts
2
Response
—
Killed
0
Injured
0
Institution
Delaware State University
Hbcu · DE
~5,600 studentsDSU Alerts
Confirmed Timeline

Alert Sequence

2 messages in sequence · 1 verified verbatim

Some alert texts below are approximate reconstructions from news coverage, not confirmed verbatim transcripts. Reconstructed texts are shown in italic with a dashed border. Verified verbatim texts have a solid border and are marked accordingly.

INITIAL ALERTPush
Verified verbatimFirst State Update, quoting the DSU community alert system message verbatim as sent at 11:08 PM on September 7, 2024144 chars
Critical: Shots fired in the area of the University Courtyard Apartments. Avoid the area and shelter in place. Stand by for updated information.
Verbatim text confirmed from First State Update's reporting, which quoted the 11:08 PM community alert system message word for word
Officers had responded to the scene at approximately 10:30 PM and found evidence of gunfire damaging vehicles and buildings
The alert uses 'Critical:' as the opening word rather than 'DSU ALERT' — consistent with DSU's community alert platform formatting
ALL CLEARPush+6h 33m
Approximate reconstruction177 chars
DSU UPDATE: The shelter in place order has been lifted. The area near the University Courtyard Apartments has been secured. There is no ongoing threat. Resume normal activities.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

Reconstructed from news coverage; the shelter-in-place lasted approximately 6.5 hours, from 11:08 PM to 5:41 AM
Despite finding no injuries, the extended shelter-in-place reflected the severity of the gunfire and the need to process the crime scene
Context

Background

On the evening of September 7, 2024, shots were fired at the University Courtyard Apartments on College Road, just off Delaware State University's campus in Dover. Officers responding at approximately 10:30 PM found several vehicles and buildings damaged by gunfire but no injuries. DSU issued an emergency shelter-in-place alert at 11:08 PM that was not lifted until 5:41 AM Sunday morning, keeping students confined to their rooms for over six hours. Two weeks later, DSU police arrested 18-year-old Tyrone Harrell, a DSU student, on September 9, and a 15-year-old boy from Dover on September 20. Harrell was expelled from the university. Both were charged with firearms offenses. The incident came just months after the April 2024 fatal shooting on DSU's campus that killed 18-year-old Camay Mitchell DeSilva, intensifying student calls for improved campus safety.
Analysis

Key Findings

The shelter-in-place lasted over 6 hours, from 11:08 PM Saturday to 5:41 AM Sunday
One of the arrested suspects was a DSU student who was subsequently expelled
The incident was the second major shooting event at DSU in 2024, following an April homicide on campus
Outcome
No injuries. Several vehicles and buildings were damaged by gunfire. Tyrone Harrell, 18, a DSU student, was arrested and expelled. A 15-year-old from Dover was also taken into custody. Both were charged with firearms offenses.
Provenance

Sources

  1. News
    Shots fired at DSU off-campus apartments (Delaware Public Media)
    delawarepublic.org
  2. News
    DSU Students Shelter In Place After Reports Of Gunfire Saturday Night (First State Update)
    firststateupdate.com
  3. News
    Delaware State University student arrested after shooting at student apartments (NBC Philadelphia)
    nbcphiladelphia.com
  4. News
    DSU Police make arrests in shots fired incident at off campus apartments (Delaware Public Media)
    delawarepublic.org
Tags
shootinghbcudelawaredoveroff-campus-apartmentsno-injuriesproperty-damagestudent-arrestedshelter-in-placeovernight-lockdown
Added May 2026Updated May 2026Via ingestion