In the wake of George Floyd’s death in Minneapolis, who was in police custody at the time of his death, citizens of all colors and nationalities have come together to protest the police misconduct and attack on it’s citizens all around the country.
Dover (DE): George Floyd, a 46 year old African-American man died after being taken into custody by police outside a shop in Minneapolis, Minnesota on Monday May 25, 2020. Footage of the arrest shows a white police officer, Derek Chauvin, kneeling on Floyd’s neck while he was pinned to the ground by Chauvin and three other officers. All four officers were fired a day after Floyd’s death. Chauvin, 44, has since been charged with third degree murder and manslaughter.
In response to Floyd’s death, protests-led violence have been occurring all across America and Delaware was no exception. On Saturday a peaceful rally started in Rodney Square in Wilmington but as the day wore off and night befell, the protests became more and more violent that eventually led to rioting, looting, and destruction in some of Delaware’s most visited financial districts.
Kent County officials experienced a similar situation on Sunday May 31, 2020, as planned protests spread from the Green to area streets, communities, and retail districts that eventually led to violence and destruction.
Police say at approximately 7:30 PM, a large group descended on the Dover Mall. As they did, police began receiving burglary alarm notifications from the mall.
“Looting suspects gained entry to the mall by breaking a glass door to Forever 21. Several people stole items from that location.”, Said Dover Police spokesman, Mark Hoffman., “Additional suspects entered the mall and damaged a security gate to gain access to other locations within the mall. Security gates and entry doors to T-Mobile and Foot Locker were both damaged, but the suspects did not gain access to those stores.”
“The suspects did gain access to Villa Shoe Store inside of the Dover Mall. A large amount of clothing and shoes were stolen from that location.”, Hoffman said.
Nearly five hours later, officers observed Corey Barlow in the downtown area with two new boxes of sneakers and a coat with tags still on it. Officers contacted Barlow and obtained his information as part of the ongoing investigation.
Police say they received another burglary alarm at the Villa Shoe Store around 11 Am Monday. Officers responded to the store once again, but this time they found 40-year-old Corey Barlow of Dover inside the storage area of the store attempting to steal more merchandise.
Authorities say, “A suspect had entered the store through a damaged security gate.”
Barlow was arrested, charged, and committed to SCI on a $3,700 secured bond on the following charges:
-Burglary 3rd Degree (2x)
-Theft (2x)
-Criminal Mischief (2x)
The investigation is ongoing and anyone with information is asked to contact the Dover Police Department at (302)736-7130. Callers may remain anonymous. Tips may also be submitted to law enforcement through Delaware Crime Stoppers at 800-TIP-3333 or online at delawarecrimestoppers.com; a cash reward of up to $1,000 is possible for information leading to an arrest.
