Delaware hospital locked down after 2 people are shot inside

A hospital in Delaware was locked down Tuesday after two people were shot inside, police said.

The shooting was reported about 3:30 p.m. at Wilmington Hospital, said David Karas, the chief administrative officer at the Wilmington Police Department. Karas declined to immediately release any information about the status of the victims or whether police had located the shooter.

ChristianaCare, which operates the hospital, said in an emailed statement it was diverting patients from its emergency department and "taking all appropriate steps to ensure the safety of our patients, caregivers and visitors."


"This is an active police investigation for a possible active shooter," the statement said.

Violence has been a persistent problem at hospitals across the U.S.

Wilmington, which has about 71,000 residents and is Delaware's largest city, is about 25 miles (40 km) south of Philadelphia.