Sonya Sheppard, a 57-year-old Black female from Milton, Delaware, was inside her home on West Springside Drive late on November 20, 2023, when violence from outside crossed into the place where she should have been safest. Delaware State Police said troopers were called to the 28000 block of West Springside Drive at about 11:18 p.m. for a reported shooting. When they arrived, they found Sheppard inside the residence suffering from a gunshot wound to her upper body, and she was pronounced dead at the scene.
Investigators said the shooting was not described as a confrontation inside the home. Instead, the preliminary investigation found that multiple rounds of gunfire struck the residence from outside, and one of those rounds traveled through the home and hit Sheppard. A Delaware State Police case flyer later listed the location as 28420 West Springside Drive and said Sheppard was inside her residence when a shooting occurred in the area; she was struck by a round that came through the wall and was pronounced deceased.
In the days after the killing, Delaware State Police publicly identified Sheppard as the victim and said the Homicide Unit was continuing to investigate. Local reporting echoed the police account: she had been found inside her home, the residence had been hit by gunfire, and police believed an unknown assailant fired the rounds that killed her. The available public accounts did not describe a motive, did not name a person of interest, and did not indicate that Sheppard was outside or involved in an exchange of gunfire.
As of the available online reports reviewed, no arrest has been publicly reported in Sheppard's homicide, and Delaware State Police stated at the time that there was no suspect information available. The case was still being handled by the Homicide Unit, with investigators asking anyone with information to contact Sgt. S. Yeich or submit information through law enforcement tip channels.
