June 17, 2026
William Bretzger/Imagn Images via Reuters Connect
The man suspected of fatally shooting one person and wounding another at Wilmington Hospital on Tuesday afternoon was arrested in Philadelphia. Above, emergency personnel gather outside the hospital following the shooting.
The man accused of shooting two people — one fatally — at Wilmington Hospital on Tuesday afternoon was arrested hours later in Philadelphia, police said.
The suspect, 23-year-old John Wallace-Bey, was taken into custody near North Ninth Street and Lindley Avenue in Olney at 9:30 p.m. The shooting occurred at 3:30 p.m., prompting a lockdown at hospital.
Investigators told 6ABC that the suspected shooter and the people who were shot are hospital employees.
Wilmington Hospital, operated by ChristianaCare, has resumed operations. Investigators said there's no threat to caregivers or visitors.
The suspected shooter awaits extradition to Delaware, police said, and will be charged with first-degree murder and attempted murder as well as firearm charges. A Toyota RAV4 also was recovered in Olney. The names of the people who were shot have not been released, although police said they are both 19.
Wilmington Mayor John Carney said hospital employees kept treating patients after the shooting took place and as law enforcement entered the building.
"It's hard to imagine what they were thinking as they were barricaded in rooms across the hospital as our law enforcement teams went through and cleared each of the floors," Carney said during a press conference Tuesday. "Any violence or loss of life in our city is unacceptable. It's particularly distressing when an incident like this occurs in a hospital, whose fundamental purpose is to treat injuries and save lives."
ChristianaCare said it will offer wellbeing and behavioral health resources for employees.
