The Dover Police Department held a press conference on Wednesday, December 27th, 2023 at 11:00 a.m., to announce the arrest of a suspect in the Ann Avenue Homicide from December 14th and two related shootings. Details of the arrest and Chief Johnson’s statement are below. (A video of the news conference will be attached to this release when available)
“Good morning everyone. I would like to say thank you to all the participants involved in this briefing and to the members of the media for your interest and attendance.
The Dover Police Department is announcing the arrest of Jaquan Fletcher, age 20, of Dover, for the Murder of Mr. Frederick Tolson, a 42 year old barber and family man. Several members of Mr. Tolson’s family are with us today and it is our hope that this arrest is a meaningful first step in the long journey of grief and finding closure in such tragic circumstances.
Fletcher is also charged with the Attempted Murder of three other individuals within city limits. They include a 45-year-old male, a 35-year-old male, and a 59-year-old male, all of Dover, and none of whom appear to have had any previous relationship with their assailant.
The chronology of events began at 5:34 a.m. on December 2nd, 2023, when Dover Police was called to the Wawa store, located at 1450 Forrest Avenue, for the report of a shooting. Click Here For Details
Arriving Officers contacted a 45-year-old male who had been shot in the upper body while walking in the parking lot of the business. It was determined that the victim did not see the person that shot him and did not know the exact source of the gunfire.
Detectives later determined that the suspect was hiding near or behind bushes on the property. The victim was transported to Bayhealth – Kent Campus for treatment of non-life-threatening wounds and later released.
There is no evidence at this time of any contact between the victim and any other individuals prior to the shooting.
At 2:04 a.m. on December 8th, 2023, Officers were called to Village Drive and Quail Hollow Drive for the second shooting connected to this case. Click Here For Details
Officers responded and contacted a 35-year-old male who had been shot in the upper body while walking in the area. Detectives learned that the suspect had shot at the victim from a concealed position and from a significant distance.
This victim was also transported to Bayhealth – Kent Campus for treatment. As with the first shooting, there was no evidence of any dispute or disturbance prior to the attack.
At 8:45 p.m. on December 14th, 2023 Police were called to the unit block of Ann Avenue for the third shooting connected to this case. Officers responded and located two victims in front of the same house who had been shot in their upper bodies.
One was Mr. Tolson and the other was a member of his family, a 59-year-old male. Both men were transported to Bayhealth -Kent Campus and sadly, as we now know, Mr. Tolson did not survive his injuries.
As with the previous events, it was determined that the suspect shot the victims from a concealed position and there was no evidence of conflict leading into the moment of gunfire.
Beginning with the shooting on December 2nd, Dover Detectives diligently worked each case.
The extensive investigation included a review of available video surveillance, data from recently acquired vehicle identification technology, extensive interviews of witnesses and surviving victims, and comprehensive crime scene examinations. Intelligence gathered from the third crime scene helped to link the chain of events together and pointed to a single individual.
Within 24 hours of the third shooting, based on the evidence and information gathered by more than a dozen cooperating Detectives, Jaquan Fletcher was identified as the suspect responsible for all three shootings and the injuries to all four victims.
It was discovered that Fletcher was already wanted by the Delaware State Police on unrelated charges and during the execution of a search warrant at his home on December 15, 2023 at 200 Isabelle Isle, Fletcher was taken into custody without incident by our Special Operations Response Team.
The case status was presented to the Attorney General’s Kent County Office shortly thereafter and by December 20th a charge list was finalized and an arrest warrant was approved by the court.
Mr. Fletcher was arraigned on December 21, 2023 and remains committed to the SCI on $1.225 million dollars cash bail on the following charges:
One count of Murder in the First Degree
Three Counts of Attempted Murder in the First Degree
Three Counts of Possession of a Firearm During the Commission of a Felony
Six Counts of Possession of a Firearm by a Person Prohibited
As we examine the facts that we have come to know, we believe that we have disrupted the behavior of a violent individual who chose his victims at random.
He took his time, carefully aimed his shots and carried out what could only be described as “ambush” style shootings. If not for his arrest, it is highly likely he would have struck again.
As stated by Master Corporal Schmid at the beginning of this briefing, the credit for this arrest is owed to hard work, good collaboration and the investment in technology.
Credit goes to the hard work of the entire Criminal Investigative Unit. They are an experienced and skillful group unsurpassed in Delaware law enforcement.
Credit goes to good collaboration within that unit, with our law enforcement partners, and with the Kent County Office of the Delaware Department of Justice who now begins the process of preparing this case for trial.
And lastly, I want to give credit to the technology that produced a significant portion of the investigative information that helped crack this case. Dover Elected Officials, working on behalf of the communities they represent, recognized the value of emerging technologies that could contribute to public safety.
Stated plainly, at great expense, they approved the purchase of the very equipment that advanced this investigation and continues to be one of the best operational assets we have. Again, the Dover PD appreciates all of our public safety partners. It begins with the folks that provide us the resources. It continues with the dedicated members of this agency. We get help from individuals and agencies possessing special expertise. And of course, we have a prosecuting partner that takes gun crime as seriously as we do.”
Dover, DE