Wilmington Police have arrested a man in connection with yesterday’s fatal shooting incident.
On April 21, at approximately 1:38 a.m., members of the Uniformed Services Division responded to the 300 block of North Union Street, in reference to a shooting incident. Upon arrival, officers located a gunshot victim – who has been identified as 35-year-old Lupe Bedolla-Castillo – who was transported to the hospital in critical condition and later succumbed to his injuries.
The case was assigned to Detective Kevin Nolan of the Criminal Investigations Division. Through the course of his investigation, Detective Nolan identified 43-year-old Francisco Valencia-Avila as a suspect and obtained warrants for his arrest. On the same date, police took Valencia-Avila into custody without incident.
Valencia-Avila has been charged with the following offenses:
- Murder (First Degree)
- Possession of a Firearm During the Commission of a Felony
- Carrying a Concealed Deadly Weapon
He was arraigned in the New Castle County Court of Common Pleas and was committed to the Howard R. Young Correctional Institution on $500,000 cash-only bail.
