Do you know who murdered 17 year old Lamar Wilmer in 2013? Lamar Wilmer, a 17-year-old Black / African American male from Wilmington, Delaware, was killed on December 9, 2013, in a shooting that began at the front door of his family home on the 2600 block of North Van Buren Street. That evening, shortly after 6:00 p.m., two young males came to the door and asked for him by the nickname “Mar.” Lamar's mother told him people were there to see him, and Lamar indicated that he knew them before stepping outside.
What appeared at first to be a
brief conversation turned deadly within minutes. After Lamar went outside, two additional males joined the group. The group spoke for roughly three to five minutes before one of the males pulled a handgun and shot Lamar. The others fled after the gunfire. Wounded, Lamar managed to make it back inside his home, where he collapsed in the living room.
Police responded to reports of gunfire at about 6:07 p.m. Officers found Lamar inside the residence suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. They administered first aid and CPR before medics rushed him by ambulance to Christiana Hospital. He was pronounced dead after arriving at the hospital. Early reports described the shooting as another homicide in a year when Wilmington was already facing a high level of gun violence.
The killing left behind a grieving family that included Lamar's parents, LaTosha Haman-Martin and Larry Wilmer, along with grandparents, siblings, extended relatives, and friends. His obituary described him as someone whose sudden death left many people to mourn him, and funeral services were held several days later in Wilmington.
No public online source located reported an arrest, named suspect, charges, trial, or conviction in Lamar's killing. Police initially said they had no details on possible suspects, and years later the Wilmington Police Department's Cold Case Unit continued to ask the public for help. The available accounts indicate investigators believed multiple young males were present when Lamar was shot, but the person who fired the handgun had not been publicly identified. As of the later cold case appeals, the case remained open and unresolved, with authorities seeking tips from anyone who knew what happened outside Lamar Wilmer's home that night.
