Alondra Quinonez, a 22-year-old White/Caucasian female from Wilmington, Delaware, died on August 4, 2024, after a violent encounter unfolded inside a residence on the 1700 block of Limestone Road in the Wilmington/Stanton area. What began for police as a report of an armed man near a nearby Exxon on Main Street quickly expanded into a homicide and fire investigation after troopers, firefighters, and EMS were sent to the home and found Quinonez suffering from a gunshot wound.
Emergency personnel attempted life-saving measures, but she was pronounced dead at the scene.
Investigators said the suspect, 57-year-old Francisco Vasquez of Milford, Delaware, had forcibly entered the home of his ex-spouse that morning. The homeowner was reportedly not there, but Quinonez and a 20-year-old Wilmington man were inside. Police said Vasquez fired multiple rounds at the occupants, striking Quinonez. The 20-year-old man was not hit and escaped from the residence, fleeing to the nearby Exxon, where authorities were alerted to the armed-man report.
After the shooting, authorities said Vasquez set the home on fire and fled in a vehicle. Because the case involved both a fatal shooting and a house fire, the Delaware State Police Homicide Unit and the Delaware State Fire Marshal's Office took over the investigation. The scene on Limestone Road became the first part of a wider search as police worked to locate the suspected gunman after the killing.
The search led investigators to the area of the Chesapeake & Delaware Canal, where Delaware State Police Aviation Section members located Vasquez and his vehicle. Police said Vasquez was armed and climbed onto the lower level of a high-tension electrical tower. Troopers spent several hours trying to negotiate with him, turning the aftermath of the homicide into a prolonged standoff.
The standoff ended when police said Vasquez fired a weapon at troopers. Three Delaware State Police troopers returned fire, striking him. Troopers then administered first aid, but Vasquez was pronounced dead at the scene. Because the identified murder suspect died during the officer-involved shooting, no arrest was made in Quinonez's killing, and there were no court proceedings, trial, or conviction against him.
Following the shooting involving police, the troopers who discharged their weapons were placed on administrative leave under Delaware State Police standard operating procedures. A use-of-force investigation was launched in conjunction with the Delaware Department of Justice. Delaware State Police continued to describe the homicide investigation as active and asked anyone with information to contact Detective B. McDerby or Delaware Crime Stoppers.
