2 fatal shootings reported in Chester, the latest in a spate of violence
The fatalities were from separate shootings, one of which left a third individual in critical condition, according to the city’s mayor.
Two fatal shooting marked a particularly violent Tuesday in Chester, roughly a year after the city celebrated a steep decline in homicides involving firearms in the first half of 2025.
The fatalities were from separate shootings, one of which left a third person in critical condition, according to the city’s mayor. No arrests were made and officials did not have descriptions of any suspects.
“These acts of violence are heartbreaking and serve as another painful reminder of the ongoing challenges facing our community and the devastating consequences violence continues to ave on individuals, families, and neighborhoods,” said Chester Mayor Stefan Roots in a statement Wednesday.
Roots lamented a third incident, in which a police officer was assaulted Tuesday and suffered lacerations during a domestic dispute call. The officer was treated at a hospital and released as the incident remains under investigation.
While year-to-date nonfatal and fatal shooting statistics were not immediately available, Tuesday’s deaths mark the latest in a spate of shootings.
Though zero shootings were reported in March, The Delaware County Daily Times reports there have been 10 since April.
Last summer, the Chester police reported 15 nonfatal shootings just over the midway mark of the year. That translated to a 16% decrease in nonfatal shootings compared to 2024. Homicides in the first half of 2025 had also dropped 41% compared to the same time in the year prior, according to the Chester police midyear report.
The summer would go on to be one of the safest the Chester ever had, largely credited to national trends in declining violence and the yearslong collaboration among community advocates, police, and the Delaware County District Attorney’s Office.
» READ MORE: Chester saw one of its safest summers ever in 2025. No one died from gun violence.
Though Tuesday’s violence was alarming enough to warrant a news conference with both Roots and Chester Police Commissioner Katrina Blackwell, the mayor emphasized the continued violence prevention work across stakeholders and law enforcement.
Chester’s Safe Summer Initiative will continue to provide resources to youth and families, as well as positive opportunities in the city, said Roots.
“But public safety cannot rest solely on the shoulders of law enforcement,” he said in a statement, adding that people who “know something” should “say something.”
