Ahniya Coverdale, a 17-year-old Black/African American female from Harrington, Delaware, was killed on June 9, 2024, after a shooting in Ellendale. That Sunday afternoon, at about 4:30 p.m., Delaware State Police were called to the 12000 block of North Old State Road for a reported shooting. When troopers arrived, they learned that Ahniya had already been taken to the Ellendale Fire Company after being shot. From there, she was transported by ambulance to an area hospital, where she died.
The shooting also left another person wounded. Police said a 19-year-old man later arrived at a hospital with a gunshot wound to his leg. His injury was described as non-life-threatening, and he was treated at the hospital. In the first days after the shooting, authorities continued working the case as a homicide investigation and asked the public for help, while Ahniya’s name was initially withheld until her family could be notified. Delaware State Police later identified her publicly as the person killed in the Ellendale homicide.
Ahniya’s death came only days after a major milestone in her life. Obituary information published by her funeral home said Ahniya Renee Coverdale was born in Milford, Delaware, and had recently graduated from Lake Forest High School on May 31, 2024. She was also remembered as someone who worked at Beginnings and Beyond Childcare Center in Felton. Her sudden death turned what should have been the beginning of a new chapter after graduation into a homicide investigation.
Investigators later identified Angelo Rodriguez of Millsboro as the suspect. On July 22, 2024, a Sussex County grand jury indicted him in connection with the shooting. Police said detectives arrested Rodriguez on July 23, 2024. He was charged with first-degree murder, three counts of possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, two counts of possession of a firearm by a person prohibited, first-degree assault, eight counts of first-degree reckless endangering, and theft of a firearm.
After his arrest, Rodriguez was arraigned in Justice of the Peace Court 3 and committed to Stevenson House Detention Center on a $300,000 cash bond. Reports identified him as a 14-year-old from Millsboro. The charges reflected not only Ahniya’s death, but also the wounded 19-year-old man and the danger police said others faced during the shooting. Delaware State Police said the Homicide Unit continued investigating the incident even after the arrest and continued asking anyone with information to contact Detective M. Csapo or Delaware Crime Stoppers.
