Leroy Collins Jr., a 23-year-old Black man, was fatally shot in Wilmington, Delaware, during a gathering held in memory of another homicide victim. Although some online memorial databases list Collins's death under March 4, 2016, contemporary reporting and his obituary place his killing and death on Monday, March 7, 2016. March 4 was the date Samuel Copeland, the man being memorialized, was killed.
Three nights before Collins was killed, 22-year-old Samuel Copeland, also known as “Chicago” or “Sumo,” had been shot shortly after 9 p.m. near the 1200 block of West Seventh Street. Copeland died at the scene. In the days that followed, balloons, candles and other memorial items were placed near the shooting location, and residents gathered there to mourn him. On Monday night, that place of remembrance became another homicide scene when gunfire erupted and Collins was shot directly in front of the memorial.
Emergency responders transported Collins for medical treatment, but he did not survive. The second killing on the same block within only a few days unsettled neighbors, who described the area as a strong community not generally regarded as a center of violent activity. Residents returned to the block the following afternoon, confronting the disturbing reality that a vigil intended to honor one victim had ended with another young man losing his life. A peace rally was subsequently planned as frustration and fear spread through the neighborhood.
Police initially examined the two shootings as potentially connected because of their timing and their occurrence at essentially the same location. Investigators had not established or publicly disclosed a motive for either killing, however, and the available reports did not explain whether Collins had been specifically targeted, whether his presence at the vigil was related to Copeland's death, or whether the same person or group was responsible for both shootings. Authorities appealed to the public for information and announced a $10,000 reward for information leading to an arrest in the killings.
No reliable online source located for this synopsis identifies a suspect in Collins's killing or reports that anyone was arrested, charged, tried or convicted for his death. The absence of such reporting does not conclusively establish that no later investigative action occurred, but publicly accessible accounts continue to describe police as seeking information rather than naming an alleged gunman. Collins left behind children Brandon and Eternity Collins, his mother, Genoa Jackson, his father, Leroy Collins Sr., and other relatives and friends. His funeral service was held on March 19, 2016, followed by burial at Silverbrook Cemetery.
