In the early evening of October 8, 2025, a burst of gunfire shattered the quiet of a Wilmington, Delaware neighborhood, leaving two families irrevocably broken. Sixteen-year-old Nathan Lopez, a male from Newark, was fatally wounded in the shooting, which occurred around 5:07 p.m. near the intersection of 6th and Pine Streets. When Wilmington Police arrived at the scene, they discovered two male victims with gunshot wounds.
Nathan Lopez succumbed to his injuries at the scene.
The second victim, 17-year-old Kaleb Blumberg, also from Newark, was rushed to a local hospital in critical condition. He later died from his injuries. The investigation into the double homicide was assigned to the Wilmington Police Department's Criminal Investigations Division. Detectives began the arduous process of piecing together the events that led to the tragic deaths of the two teenagers. The community was left in shock and mourning, with a GoFundMe page being set up to help Nathan's family with funeral costs. His obituary described him as a junior at Newark High School who had a great sense of humor and a big heart, and who enjoyed video games and sports.
Through their investigation, detectives identified a 16-year-old male as a suspect in the fatal shooting. On October 13, the case was presented to a New Castle County Grand Jury, which returned an indictment against the juvenile suspect. The following day, on October 14, the unnamed 16-year-old was taken into custody. He has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder, two counts of possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, two counts of wearing a disguise during the commission of a felony, and one count of possession of a firearm by a person prohibited. Following his arraignment in New Castle County Superior Court, he was committed to the New Castle County Detention Center on a $2,030,000 cash-only bail.
