Wilmington Hospital Shooting Suspect Arrested in Philadelphia After Multi-Agency Manhunt

A 23-year-old hospital employee accused of fatally shooting one co-worker and seriously injuring another at Wilmington Hospital in Delaware was arrested Tuesday night in Philadelphia’s Olney neighborhood, following a multi-agency search that used license plate readers and surveillance footage to track him, authorities said.

John Wallace-Bey, of New Castle, Delaware, is charged with murder and is being held without bail pending extradition back to Delaware, according to court records. Investigators believe the shooting was a targeted attack, though a motive has not been disclosed.

The shooting occurred Tuesday afternoon inside Wilmington Hospital, part of the ChristianaCare health system. Wallace-Bey allegedly shot two 19-year-old colleagues, killing one and critically wounding the other. ChristianaCare confirmed that all three individuals were hospital employees. According to Wallace-Bey’s LinkedIn page, he worked as a community tech intern at the hospital.

After the shooting, Wallace-Bey fled the hospital in a Toyota Rav 4 and drove to Philadelphia’s Olney neighborhood. Police used license plate reader technology to track the vehicle from Delaware to Pennsylvania. Surveillance footage showed him walking in Olney before he reportedly got into an Uber. Officers and FBI agents eventually located and arrested him around 9:30 p.m. at the corner of North 9th Street and Lindley Avenue.

A hospital employee who worked in the same department as Wallace-Bey described his demeanor before the shooting as "normal, just normal. Came in, did what he had to do and left." Neighbors and community members expressed shock and relief. "Just speechless that it happened. And it's an unfortunate situation and you hate to hear," said John Richardson, a neighbor of the suspect in New Castle. Another Olney resident, Terrence Thomas, noted, "Us as a community, we have to do better."

The family of the deceased victim has requested privacy. Authorities have not released further details as the investigation continues.