WILMINGTON, DE — New Castle County police charged a 31-year-old Wilmington man with first-degree murder after a 32-year-old man was fatally shot Sunday morning in the Colonial Heights area.
Officers responded at approximately 9:11 a.m. Sept. 6 to the unit block of South Cleveland Avenue for a reported shooting, according to the New Castle County Division of Police.
Police said officers and emergency medical personnel found Donald Nave, 32, suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. Emergency personnel began life-saving measures before Nave was taken to a hospital, where police said he was later pronounced dead.
Detectives with the department’s Criminal Investigations Unit took over the investigation.
According to police, detectives subsequently developed information identifying a possible suspect and a Chevrolet Sonic believed to have been involved. Investigators used automated license plate reader technology to identify the vehicle and its license plate number, then determined it was registered to Hector Sanchez, 31, of Wilmington.
Detectives also learned that Sanchez and Nave had been involved in a traffic-related altercation in August, police reported.
Investigators later located Sanchez’s vehicle in the 800 block of Market Street in Wilmington, according to police. Detectives then obtained a search warrant for Sanchez’s residence.
With assistance from the New Castle County Police Crisis Management Group, detectives executed the warrant and took Sanchez into custody at approximately 6:56 p.m. Sept. 6, police said.
During the search, detectives recovered evidence that police allege connected Sanchez to the homicide investigation.
Sanchez was charged with one felony count of first-degree murder and one felony count of possession of a deadly weapon during the commission of a felony.
Following his arraignment in Justice of the Peace Court 11, Sanchez was committed to the Howard R. Young Correctional Institution after failing to post $1 million cash bail, according to police.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Bruhn at 302-395-8120 or Thomas.Bruhn@newcastlede.gov, or call the New Castle County Division of Police non-emergency number at 302-573-2800.
All suspects, arrestees, and defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
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