Delaware State Police have charged two Wilmington men in connection with the robbery of an armed hotel security guard in New Castle, following a weeks-long investigation that stretched into Pennsylvania.
According to investigators, the incident took place on June 13, 2026, at around 11:00 p.m. at the Best Night Inn, located at 1200 West Avenue in New Castle. Two suspects approached a security guard working at the hotel, physically held him down, and pulled his firearm directly from his holster before fleeing the scene in a sedan. The guard was not hurt during the confrontation.
Troopers identified the getaway vehicle as a Nissan Sentra and named 19-year-old Donald Shepherd and 18-year-old Sy Aire Wilson, both of Wilmington, as the suspects. The Delaware State Police Criminal Investigations Unit assumed responsibility for the case as the investigation continued.
Working alongside the United States Marshals Service First State Fugitive Task Force, detectives tracked the Sentra to Brookhaven, Pennsylvania. Further investigation revealed that Shepherd and Wilson were staying at an apartment in the unit block of Fairway Road in Newark, Delaware. Authorities secured a search warrant for that address.
On June 30, 2026, the Delaware State Police Special Operations Response Team helped carry out the search warrant. Both suspects were taken into custody without any resistance during the operation.
Shepherd was processed at Troop 2, arraigned through the Justice of the Peace Court, and sent to the Department of Correction on an $18,000 cash bond. He faces one count each of Robbery Second Degree and Conspiracy Second Degree, both felonies.
Wilson was also processed at Troop 2 and arraigned before being committed to the Department of Correction on a $24,000 cash bond. He faces the same charges — Robbery Second Degree and Conspiracy Second Degree, both felonies.
