Deshon Sellers, a 17-year-old African American male from Wilmington, Delaware, was fatally shot on the afternoon of February 16, 2015. At approximately 4:20 p.m., police responded to a report of gunfire on East 24th Street and found him lying near the intersection with Lamotte Street, suffering from a gunshot wound to the abdomen. Officers immediately began lifesaving measures while waiting for New Castle County paramedics.
Emergency personnel continued treating Sellers as he was transported to Christiana Hospital, but he died from his injuries. His death was Wilmington's eighth homicide of the year.
The investigation into Sellers' killing became part of a broader effort to identify and prosecute members of the Touch Money Gang, commonly called TMG. Wilmington police, the Delaware Department of Justice, and the FBI led the investigation, with assistance from other local, state, and federal agencies. On August 31, 2015, a grand jury returned a 91-count indictment against 13 alleged gang members. Sellers' death was one of six killings included in the indictment, which also addressed five shootings that caused injuries, a bank robbery, and other offenses. Among those indicted was Alexander Fitzgerald, also known as “Trey,” who would ultimately admit responsibility for Sellers' murder.
Authorities publicly announced the indictment on September 11, 2015, reporting that all 13 defendants were in custody. Members of Sellers' family attended the announcement, alongside relatives of William Rollins, another victim whose killing was included in the prosecution. The announcement brought the families together with investigators and prosecutors after months of work connecting individual crimes to the gang's activities. The charges covered separate incidents; they did not allege that every defendant had participated in Sellers' killing.
In June 2018, Fitzgerald pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, and illegal gang participation. His admission resolved the charges against him through a guilty plea rather than a jury verdict. Detective Tom Curley of the Wilmington Police Department served as the lead detective, and Deputy Attorneys General John Downs, Periann Doko, and Daniel McBride prosecuted the case. At the time of the plea, authorities reported that Fitzgerald faced a sentencing range of 18 years to life in prison.
The Delaware Department of Justice announced the sentencing outcome on November 30, 2018. A Superior Court judge had sentenced Fitzgerald to 20 years in prison, followed by 18 months of probation. In reporting the sentence, prosecutors identified Fitzgerald as the shooter and described Sellers' death as a gang-related killing. More than three years after the shooting on East 24th Street, the prosecution had resulted in a murder conviction and a substantial prison sentence for the person responsible.
