Police say Del. suspect likely fled campus

DOVER, Del. - Police investigating the shootings of two Delaware State University students said yesterday that they were looking for a student suspected of firing the shots early Friday, but did not believe he remained on campus.

"Information has led us to believe it is a male. He is a student, and he is not on campus at this time," said campus Police Chief James Overton, who said he did not know the identity of the suspect.

The victims, both 17, remained hospitalized last night. A male freshman was in stable condition with an ankle wound at Kent General Hospital in Dover, and a female freshman was in serious condition at Christiana Hospital near Stanton, where she was being treated for two abdominal wounds.

They were identified as Nathaniel Pugh and Shalita Middleton, both of Washington, by a spokesman for that city's school system.

Overton discounted reports that the shootings had been the result of tensions between students from Washington and New Jersey. "Our investigation doesn't lead us to believe there is any turf battle," he said.

The chief said police had not recovered the gun or any shell casings, but believed that the weapon was a handgun.

Authorities said Friday that they had identified two "persons of interest." Those people were reclassified yesterday as witnesses.

Overton said authorities were still talking to people who witnessed the shooting or had information about it.

Just before 1 a.m. Friday, a small group of students who had left the campus Village Cafe, which is open late, met up "by happenstance" with a group coming from the Fraternity Plot area, Overton said. At the pedestrian mall area near the Memorial Hall gymnasium, someone pulled out a gun and fired four to six shots.

Overton said that the motive remained unclear, and that police were interviewing students and reviewing footage from security cameras to see if that would provide any information.

Classes are set to resume tomorrow, but the 400-acre campus was largely deserted yesterday after students headed out for the weekend. The campus was locked down shortly after the shootings, and students spent the day Friday locked in dormitories while investigators combed the campus.

The shootings - the first at a college campus since the April massacre at Virginia Tech - left the few students who remained relieved that tensions had quieted, but still wondering where the shooter might be.

Michael Pestano, 19, from Montclair in North Jersey, said that while he had never seen guns on campus, he had heard about them.

"Some people don't know how to act when they come to college," the student said. He said that while there were no gangs, some students tended to socialize only with others from their home group.

He said the school had a reputation as a party school and a campus that "never sleeps." Card games are popular, he said, and some people play for money.

Overton sought to assure students and parents that the campus was safe. "We know the gunman is not on campus," he said. "We have stepped up patrols. I have tripled my force."

The chief said his campus police force was receiving help from the Delaware State Police and Dover police. "We are doing what we can to keep the students safe," he said at a news conference.

As the investigation into the shootings continued, the focus on the streets turned to NASCAR, whose racing events at Dover International Speedway dominated the day.

Even as Overton spoke, the roar of race cars pierced the air, and the streets were filled with NASCAR fans headed to watch the races.

Logan Williams, 20, an education major from Cherry Hill, said he was relieved that the campus had become more "mellow" than Friday, when there were helicopters, barking dogs, and police blanketing the campus.

"Everyone comes from different places, and some people bring bad habits with them," Williams said about the shooting. "The kid made the worst decision you can make."

Delaware State was established in 1891 as the State College for Colored Students, with an emphasis on agriculture and mechanical-arts studies. It has evolved into a diverse university of undergraduate and advanced-degree students with satellite sites in Wilmington and Georgetown in addition to the main campus. Last fall, there were 3,657 students.

Nikki Chapple, the Student Government Association president, said she planned to hold town-hall meetings to discuss what happened and violence. They have not been scheduled.

"No gangs here on this campus," said Chapple, who heard the stories about gangs and tensions between Washington and New Jersey students.

"There are students coming from different backgrounds. That doesn't make them gang-related individuals. To associate that with what happened here is nonsense," she said.