Cyrel Cannon, a 31-year-old Black man from Wilmington, Delaware, was fatally shot late on November 1, 2016. At approximately 11 p.m., gunfire erupted in front of a residence in the 200 block of East 24th Street. Cannon suffered a gunshot wound to the head, leaving him critically injured as police and emergency personnel responded to the scene.
Cannon was rushed to Christiana Hospital, but doctors were unable to save him, and he was pronounced dead shortly after his arrival.
Initial news reports did not identify him because authorities were still notifying his relatives. Wilmington police publicly confirmed his identity several days later. Funeral and obituary notices referred to him as Cyrel J. Cannon and Cyrel Julian “Smurf” Cannon. He left behind three daughters.
Investigators released little information about what led to the shooting. Police did not announce whether Cannon had been targeted, whether an argument or confrontation preceded the gunfire, or whether anyone witnessed the attacker approaching or leaving the area. Authorities also did not provide a description of a shooter, disclose a possible motive, or identify any vehicle that might have been connected to the killing.
Contemporary reporting stated that police had no publicly identified suspects in the immediate aftermath of Cannon's death. No reliable public record located online documents an arrest, criminal charge, prosecution, trial or conviction connected specifically to his killing. The case therefore appears to have remained publicly unresolved, although investigators may possess information that has never been released because it concerns an open investigation. Wilmington police asked anyone with knowledge of the shooting to contact investigators as they searched for the person responsible for Cannon's death.
