CLAYMONT, DE — In the early morning hours of October 4, 2023, patrol officers were summoned to the unit block of Colby Avenue – Knollwood, following reports of gunshots. Upon arrival, they discovered a 32-year-old male victim who had been struck by gunfire in his upper body. The victim was swiftly transported to Christiana Hospital and is currently listed in stable condition.
Detectives from the New Castle County Police Department assumed control of the investigation. Over the course of several months, their meticulous investigation led them to two suspects: 20-year-old Christopher Montgomery of Claymont, and 22-year-old James Morgan of Wilmington.
On November 13, 2023, Morgan was taken into custody. A search warrant executed at an address on the 800 block of Maryland Avenue – Wilmington resulted in his arrest. In a separate operation on February 8, 2024, Montgomery was apprehended in Claymont with assistance from the Special Investigations Squad and the United States Marshals Task Force. Montgomery’s capture came after an attempted escape through a bedroom window. A subsequent search of the room yielded a loaded handgun.
Morgan faces multiple felony charges, including assault in the first degree, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, and conspiracy in the second degree. He has since been arraigned by the New Castle County Superior Court and held in lieu of $62,000 cash bail.
Montgomery was charged with similar offenses, but also faces two counts of possession of a firearm by a person prohibited, along with an additional charge of conspiracy in the second degree. His bail was set at $122,000 by the New Castle County Court of Common Pleas.
In a separate development, both Montgomery and Morgan have also been connected to a separate motor vehicle theft incident that occurred in New Castle. They each face additional charges, including one felony count of theft, one felony count of theft of a motor vehicle, one felony count of conspiracy in the second degree, and multiple misdemeanor counts of unlawful use of a payment card.
As proceedings continue, it’s important to remember that these are allegations and the defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
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