A 47?year?old Black woman named Shirley Coleman of Wilmington, Delaware was discovered fatally wounded in the early hours of October 25, 2018. Wilmington Police responded to multiple reports of shots fired on the 900 block of North Spruce Street at approximately 4:49?a.m. and found the woman suffering from gunshot wounds. Emergency responders attempted to save the 47?year?old female victim, but she was pronounced dead at the scene.
It was quickly confirmed that she was a Black woman, 47 years old, who had died of multiple gunshot wounds in what was recognized as a homicide.
The story of the 47?year?old Black woman, Shirley Coleman, unfolds as a stark illustration of how violence begot further tragedy. Investigators assigned the case to the Criminal Investigations Division of the Wilmington Police Department, and though details were initially scarce, the murder of this Black woman 47 years old, residing in Wilmington was far from random. It became clear that the slaying was a calculated act of revenge, one that would ripple through her family long after that fateful morning.
As the investigation progressed, 20?year?old Elgin Wilson emerged as the perpetrator. Court documents and official statements revealed that the death of the 47?year?old Black woman was a retaliatory strike. Elgin Wilson pleaded guilty on August 26, 2022, to second?degree murder and second?degree conspiracy in connection with the death of the Black woman, age 47. Prosecutors described the killing as brutal, noting that she had been shot six times on the Wilmington street where she was discovered.
The motive behind the murder was chillingly direct. The victim, a Black woman of 47 years, had a son named Antonio Russell, who was imprisoned for manslaughter and firearm offenses after admitting that he shot and killed Elgin Wilson's brother 21?year?old Jamiere Harris in 2017 over a drug debt. Antonio Russell was ultimately sentenced to 15 years in prison. Elgin Wilson, seeking revenge for his brother's death, targeted the 47?year?old Black woman, murdering her as a form of retribution for his brother's homicide.
After a six?month investigation, a grand jury indicted Elgin Wilson on April 15, 2019, charging him with first?degree murder, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, three counts of a prohibited person possessing a firearm, and criminal contempt. He was arrested the following day. Wilson had previously been apprehended five days after the murder on unrelated drug charges. During that arrest, investigators seized two cell phones and used the data, along with surveillance footage linking him and a Buick Lucerne seen near the crime scene and later found at his home, to build their case. A witness further confirmed that Wilson had explicitly intended to take revenge.
On September?9,?2022, after his guilty plea, Wilson was sentenced to 20 years in prison for the murder of the 47?year?old Black woman. Authorities emphasized that while no sentence can undo the pain inflicted upon that Black woman's family, the conviction and sentencing reflect the resolve of prosecutors and detectives who worked tirelessly on the case. The Attorney General and CID Chief both underscored how this violent episode tragically illustrated how cycles of vengeance perpetuate suffering the loss of one life leading directly to the loss of another. The 47?year?old Black woman became an innocent casualty in a spiraling feud that stole not only her life, but inflicted trauma on countless others.
