Dwan Derez Bolden, a 26-year-old Black man from Wilmington, Delaware, was fatally shot during the weekend of November 19–20, 2016. Although some memorial records list November 19 as the date he was lost to gun violence, contemporaneous reporting and his obituary place his death on November 20. The available news account states that Wilmington police were called to the 800 block of Morrow Street at approximately 1:30 p.m. after receiving a report of gunfire.
By the time officers arrived, Bolden had already been taken from the scene to a local hospital. He had suffered two gunshot wounds and later died from his injuries. Police publicly identified him as the victim while continuing to investigate the circumstances surrounding the shooting. The limited information released at the time did not explain what happened before the gunfire, whether Bolden had been specifically targeted, or whether investigators believed the shooting resulted from an argument, robbery, retaliation, or another motive.
Bolden had been born on January 4, 1990, in Seaford, Delaware, and was the son of Melony Bolden and Dwane Evans. He attended Drew-Pyle Elementary School in Wilmington and later Newark High School. His death was described in his obituary as sudden, leaving relatives and members of the Wilmington community to mourn him while police attempted to determine who was responsible.
No reliable online source located for this synopsis reports that an arrest was made in connection with Bolden's killing. Police did not publicly identify a suspect, release a suspect description, announce criminal charges, or disclose that anyone had been prosecuted or convicted. The available reporting characterized the shooting as an active investigation, but no later authoritative account was found documenting a resolution. As a result, the publicly available record leaves the case without a named assailant, an established motive, or any reported court proceedings.
