In the early morning hours of September 2, 2020, a burst of gunfire shattered the quiet of a Lancaster, Pennsylvania street, setting in motion a chain of events that would end in tragedy. Twenty-three-year-old William Deliz, a male resident of Manor Township, was outside a residence on the 500 block of East End Avenue with other individuals when the shooting occurred. He was struck by multiple bullets and rushed to a local hospital in a private vehicle. For three days, medical staff worked to save his life, but on September 5, 2020, William Deliz succumbed to his injuries. An autopsy would later confirm that the cause of death was gunshot wounds to his abdomen, back, and leg, and the manner was ruled a homicide.
The Lancaster Bureau of Police immediately launched an intensive investigation. Detectives canvassed the neighborhood, finding spent shell casings and blood at the scene. They tirelessly conducted dozens of interviews and reviewed hours of video footage from various sources in the area. Their investigation revealed that the shooting was not a random act of violence. Evidence pointed to a blue Ford F-150 that was seen in the area around the time of the incident. A witness who was driving the truck later testified that he was with a man he identified as Ethan Anthony 'Spazz' Chin. According to the driver, after parking near East King Street, Chin exited the vehicle. Less than five minutes later, the witness heard a 'full clips worth' of shots. Another passenger in the truck allegedly put a gun to the driver's head and ordered him to go pick up Chin. When Chin re-entered the truck, he was holding a handgun and said, 'I hit him. I know I hit him.'
After more than a year and a half of meticulous police work, an arrest was made. In April 2022, Detective Ryan Burgett charged 23-year-old Ethan Anthony Chin of Lititz with criminal homicide and a firearms violation. Chin was taken into custody and awaited legal proceedings. In June 2022, following a preliminary hearing where a judge determined there was sufficient evidence, Chin was held for trial on a first-degree murder charge.
In March 2024, the case came to a resolution. Ethan Chin, then 25, pleaded guilty to third-degree murder and illegal possession of a firearm in a negotiated plea deal. A Lancaster County Judge accepted the plea, sentencing Chin to serve 18.5 to 45 years in state prison. During the sentencing, the judge remarked on the 'senseless violence' of the act, bringing a close to the long and painful legal chapter for the family of William Deliz.
