Delaware police say officer shot two people, killing one, as man drove at police

New Castle County police in Delaware have identified a 22-year-old man who was fatally shot by an officer during a drug investigation Monday night near Wilmington.

The police agency said in an update Tuesday afternoon that an officer opened fire after Andrew Edelmann, of New Castle, allegedly drove a Hyundai Santa Fe at police trying to stop him during a drug investigation. The officer shot Edelmann and a 21-year-old woman who was also in the vehicle.

Edelmann and the woman were transported to Christiana Hospital, where Edelmann was pronounced dead. The woman, who was not identified, was treated for a non-life-threatening injury.

The officer who fired the gun was not identified.

The New Castle County Division of Police said in its update posted on Facebook that the officers were conducting a drug investigation and believed that Edelmann was going to be making a delivery of illegal drugs in the area of Maryland Avenue and East Reamer Street around 7:30 p.m.

Officers found the Hyundai Santa Fe, which they knew he was driving, in the parking lot of a 7-Eleven store at the corner of Maryland and Reamer and tried to stop and detain Edelmann, but he allegedly attempted to flee.

Police said they later recovered a loaded assault-style rifle from the driver’s side floorboard as well as an unspecified quantity of illegal drugs.

The police said the incident is under investigation by the division’s Criminal Investigations Unit and the Delaware Department of Justice-Division of Civil Rights and Public Trust.

The officer has been placed on administrative leave while the investigation is being conducted, police said.

Anyone with information related to the investigation can contact the Criminal Investigations Unit at 302-395-8110 or the New Castle County Division of Police nonemergency number at 302-573-2800.