An investigation into a shooting of a Delaware man on Belle Avenue — that took place in December 2014 — has concluded and no charges have been filed against the gunman.
Delaware police and county prosecutors aren’t commenting on the circumstances surrounding the case, and a grand jury has declined to bring charges against the Delaware man who fired the shots.
Delaware Police Captain Adam Moore said Tuesday that the case is considered “inactive” by police and no charges will be filed unless new evidence emerges and the case is then reopened.
Delaware police said on Dec. 31, 2015, that the investigation into the Dec. 22, 2014, shooting had been transferred to the Delaware County Prosecutor’s Office so it could present the case to a Delaware County grand jury in 2015. Prosecutors confirmed on Dec. 31 that the case had been presented to a grand jury which did not find enough cause to file charges.
Police did not file charges at the time of the shooting.
Officials from the prosecutor’s office said Monday that all grand jury deliberations are secret and they could not comment on why no charges were filed or what evidence was presented to the grand jury.
Antonio Barksdale, then 33, said he was shot five times at a residence on Belle Avenue and was hospitalized briefly. The official police report — which does not name the victim or the shooter because neither were charged — states that the victim was shot three times: One bullet struck him in the chest just under his left armpit; another bullet hit him on the right side of his chest under his other arm; and another bullet hit his right hip
On the morning of Dec. 22, 2014, Barksdale was shot at the residence at 105 Belle Ave. and then was transported to Grant Medical Center. He was released from the hospital two days after the shooting.
The shooting occurred at 8:45 a.m. that day when the resident at 105 Belle wounded a man later identified as Barksdale, police said. Police detained the gunman for questioning, but had released him by the following day.
Police said they have taken statements from both men and said the two men knew each other. Officers were investigating to determine whether self-defense played a part in the shooting.
A man who identified himself as Barksdale contacted The Gazette in the days following the incident and said he was the shooting victim.
Barksdale said he went to the house on Belle to settle a dispute he was having with the resident about accusations involving a stolen watch. Barksdale said that when the resident opened up the door, the resident immediately started shooting at him.
The police report states that the shooter claimed Barksdale was banging on the door and yelling threats.
The Belle Avenue resident declined to be interviewed by The Gazette last year.
In a 911 emergency call obtained by The Gazette, the resident told the 911 dispatcher “an altercation is getting ready to pursue, there’s about to be a gunfight. … Hurry up, I’m about to shoot this dude.”
The dispatcher then told the man, “Do not shoot anybody, OK?” — before the caller disconnected.
Police arrived a few minutes later and found the wounded Barksdale.
