Ernest Saunders Staples, 38, was killed by gunfire on August 31, 2021, in the Saddlebrook Townhouses area of New Castle, Delaware. Officers were dispatched about 10:30 p.m. to the 100 block of Freedom Trail after reports of shots fired and found Staples in the roadway with multiple upper-body gunshot wounds. First aid was attempted but he was pronounced dead at the scene. Detectives from the New Castle County Division of Police Criminal Investigations Unit treated the location as a homicide scene.

Staples, born July 19, 1983, in Chester, Pennsylvania, moved to Delaware in 2002. An obituary and memorials describe him as an HVAC-certified technician who later worked at The Goodwill outlet and was promoted to warehouse supervisor. He was remembered as a hard worker, family-oriented, proud father and fiancée, and by friends as Ernie — loving, funny, and the life of the party. Police did not name a suspect or describe a motive and appealed for tips, video, or information; a reward was offered for information leading to an arrest or conviction. If anyone knew Ernest or saw activity near Freedom Trail that night, can you help investigators?