The high school senior killed in Laurel is one of 3 shot last week in separate incidents
The deadly shooting last Friday of a Laurel High basketball star is not the only shooting keeping police busy lately in the small southern Delaware town.
Delaware Online/The News Journal learned of two additional Laurel shootings last week. Officials released few details about the other incidents but said Thursday that the three shootings may be related.
Laurel High School senior Corey Mumford was shot and killed on April 14 at the Wexford Village apartment complex. He had been walking with friends, and police said he was not the target.
Two days before, a shooting occurred in Holly Brook apartment complex. And hours after Mumford was shot, another shooting occurred on Shiloh Church Road.
Corey Mumford: 'He did not deserve this.' Laurel High senior was not the target in last week's shooting.
The Laurel Police Department responded to the 300 building of the Hollybrook apartment complex around 12:45 p.m. April 12. They found multiple shots had been fired and struck a "male adult victim," a department Facebook post said. The victim was taken to a hospital by bystanders for "life-threatening injuries" and then transported to a "trauma facility," police said.
No information was available on his condition.
When reached by phone, Laurel Police Chief Danny Wright declined to comment on the incident. Delaware State Police are assisting on that case, according to the Facebook post.
Then, around 12:10 a.m. Saturday, April 15, another person was shot outside of the town limits on Shiloh Church Road. That victim is still alive, state police Cpl. Leonard DeMalto said, but he would not provide any other information "so as not to jeopardize" the investigation.
"I know that detectives are looking into possible connections between the shootings," DeMalto said.
He encouraged people to avoid volatile situations and to call 911 if their or someone else's safety is compromised.
Laurel Mayor John Shwed believes the shootings were related.
"We always want to be vigilant, but I don't think we need to panic," he said when reached by phone Thursday. "It's not like there's somebody going around randomly shooting at people. There's issues between certain groups of people ... young people."
Tesha Horsey is the mother of Corey Mumford, the 18-year-old Laurel High student who was headed to college before he was gunned down last week.
"I don’t want another mother to have to feel the pain I’m feeling,” Horsey said. “Something has got to be done … about the violence.”
In the wake of the recent incidents, One Laurel, a committee formed by the town to "focus on hope and community," is hosting a community gathering and prayer event at Market Street Square Park on Wednesday, April 26, from 6 to 7 p.m.
The event will feature speakers and a "writing wall," a flyer for the event says, and will "allow time for healing and community togetherness."
Shannon Marvel McNaught reports on Sussex County and beyond. Reach her at smcnaught@gannett.com or on Twitter @MarvelMcNaught
This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: 3 shootings in Laurel in one week. High school senior killed.
