Chad Ernest Spicer, 29, a Georgetown, Delaware patrolman, was killed in the line of duty on September 1, 2009. Officers had been searching for a silver sedan after gunfire was reported during a dispute outside a McDonald’s on U.S. 113. Riding two up with Corporal Shawn Brittingham to intercept a Chrysler Sebring matching the description, Spicer helped spot the vehicle and the pair pursued it into the Kimmeytown neighborhood. When the Sebring suddenly braked, a single shot from the rear seat struck Spicer in the face, fatally wounding him; a ricochet grazed Brittingham’s neck. The driver fled on foot, another passenger stayed and tried to render aid, and the gunman escaped into the neighborhood.

Investigators quickly focused on 22-year-old Derrick J. Powell as the alleged triggerman; he was arrested that night and later charged with first-degree murder. The driver, 20-year-old Christopher L. Reeves of Lincoln, Delaware, initially eluded capture and surrendered several days later; he faced charges and cooperated with authorities. Forensic testimony at trial centered on DNA and ballistics, while witnesses described the argument at the McDonald’s and the subsequent chase that ended with the fatal rear-seat shot through the patrol car window. The arrests ended the immediate manhunt, but the killing left Georgetown reeling.