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72-year-old charged in fatal July 4 shooting – First state update

Wilmington police have arrested a man in connection with a fatal shooting on July 4.

Officials said members of the Uniformed Services Division were called to a shooting incident in the 900 block of North Lombard Street at approximately 1:07 a.m. on July 4. Upon arrival, police found a gunshot victim – 49-year-old Kevin Harris, who succumbed to his injuries.

Police said they took 72-year-old Bernard Stewart into custody on July 4 without incident on weapons charges, a detail they did not mention at the time.

The case was assigned to Detective Justin Kane of the Criminal Investigation Division. During the course of his investigation, Detective Kane identified Stewart as a suspect in the fatal shooting incident and obtained warrants for his arrest. Stewart is currently being held at the Howard R. Young Correctional Institution and was arraigned on additional charges on July 10.

Stewart was charged with the following offenses:

  • Murder (first degree)
  • Possession of a deadly weapon during the commission of a crime
  • Possession of a firearm by a prohibited person – two counts

He was arraigned in the New Castle County Court of Common Pleas and remains in the Howard R. Young Correctional Institution on $1,020,000 cash bail.