Eric Pearson, a 48-year-old Black/African American man from the Philadelphia area, was fatally shot on the evening of February 8, 2016, outside the TGI Friday's restaurant at 128 North DuPont Highway in New Castle, Delaware. The first reports of gunfire reached authorities at approximately 6:58 p.m. Officers from New Castle City Police, New Castle County Police and Delaware State Police converged on the restaurant parking lot, where they found Pearson unconscious after suffering multiple
gunshot wounds, including wounds to his torso. New Castle County paramedics responded, but Pearson could not be saved and was pronounced dead at the scene.
The shooting unfolded while numerous people were in and around the restaurant, giving investigators an unusually large number of potential witnesses to question. Early reports indicated that police were interviewing approximately 40 people who had been at the scene when the gunfire erupted. In the confusion immediately following the shooting, authorities initially believed the victim was considerably younger and described him as being in his twenties. By the following day, police had confirmed his identity as Pearson and established that he was from the Philadelphia area.
Despite the number of people present, investigators did not immediately identify who fired the shots or disclose what may have led to the killing. Police publicly appealed for anyone who witnessed the shooting or possessed information about a possible shooter to contact New Castle City Police. Authorities were specifically seeking both witness information and information that could help identify a suspect, indicating that investigators had not established a publicly known perpetrator during the initial stage of the homicide investigation.
Contemporaneous reports stated that no arrests had been made following the shooting. Police did not release the name or description of a suspected gunman, nor did the reporting identify a motive, describe an argument preceding the attack, or indicate whether Pearson had been deliberately followed or confronted before the shots were fired. The circumstances therefore remained largely unknown outside the evidence and witness accounts being examined by investigators.
The investigation was led by New Castle City Police with assistance from other Delaware law-enforcement agencies. Authorities continued asking witnesses and anyone with information to come forward, including through Delaware Crime Stoppers. Searches of publicly available reporting did not locate a subsequent credible announcement identifying a suspect or documenting an arrest, criminal charge, trial, guilty plea or conviction connected to Pearson's killing. Based on the public record available online, the homicide remains without a publicly documented resolution.
