Barry Best, a 50-year-old Black male from Dover, Delaware, was fatally shot on Monday, September 30, 2024, in the unit block of South Governors Avenue in Dover. The afternoon violence unfolded around 3:46 p.m., when Dover police received a report of shots fired and officers arrived to find Best suffering from several gunshot wounds to his upper body.
He was first taken to an area hospital, then airlifted to Christiana Hospital for additional treatment, but he died from the injuries sustained in the shooting.
In the immediate aftermath, investigators worked the case as a homicide and initially withheld Best’s name while his family was notified. At the time of the first public release, police said there were no additional leads being announced, but the investigation continued quickly. Within days, detectives identified 21-year-old Alexander Singletary of Smyrna as the suspect believed to be responsible for the shooting.
On October 2, 2024, the Dover Police Department’s Special Operations Response Team executed a search warrant at a residence in the 400 block of New Castle Avenue in Dover. During that operation, Singletary was taken into custody without incident. Police also detained 18-year-old Jaylan Koroma of Dover during the same search warrant, though authorities said Koroma’s arrest was not related to Best’s homicide. Detectives reported finding two handguns inside the residence during the search.
Singletary was processed and arraigned after his arrest. He was charged with first-degree murder, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, and three counts of possession of a firearm by a person prohibited. He was committed to Sussex Correctional Institution on $1,060,000 cash bail. Koroma was separately charged with non-compliance with bond and committed to Sussex Correctional Institution on $2,000 secured bail.
The case centered on the shooting on South Governors Avenue, where Best was wounded in broad daylight and later died after being transferred for higher-level medical care. Police described Singletary as the suspect responsible for the September 30 shooting, while also emphasizing that both defendants were presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.
