UPDATE – Shooting on Capitol Trail
On May 31, 2020, at about 0001 hours, Newark Police were dispatched to the 500 block of Capitol Trail for a report of a burglary in progress. While officers were responding, an additional call was received reporting a shooting at the same location.
Arriving officers found multiple subjects placing a male suffering from a gunshot wound to his leg into a vehicle. An ambulance was summoned to the scene. While officers were tending to the male with the gunshot wound, they contacted another male who was identified as the shooter. He was taken into custody at the scene.
Newark Police Detectives arrived and assumed the investigation. After interviewing multiple subjects involved, Detectives determined that a female called a male acquaintance at the apartment in the 500 block of Capitol Trail and told him that she thought she was being followed by subjects in a car behind her. The female did not know the subjects in the vehicle following her and believes they thought she may have cut them off while driving.
Once at the intersection of Capitol Trail and East Cleveland Avenue, the driver of that car, later identified as Cody Johns, exited his vehicle and jumped into the bed of the female’s truck. The passenger in Johns’ vehicle, later identified as Christopher Troutman, got into the driver’s seat and followed the female’s truck down Capitol Trail to the apartment. There were two additional females in the rear seat of Johns’ vehicle.
Upon arrival at the apartment on Capitol Trail, the male acquaintance the female called, along with another male, were waiting outside. Johns was attempting to kick the back window of the truck and a physical altercation ensued among Johns and the two males waiting at the apartment. The two males then fled from Johns into the apartment, with both Johns and Troutman pursuing them. Johns and Troutman entered the apartment and assaulted the two males. At that point, another male, who was a resident of the apartment, ordered them to leave the apartment. Johns and Troutman did not comply. The male resident obtained a shotgun and pointed it at Johns and Troutman while ordering them to leave. The male resident continued to retreat into the apartment at which point the male resident fired one round, striking Johns in the leg.
The males from the apartment suffered minor injuries, but did not require medical attention.
Johns was transported to an area hospital suffering from a serious leg injury.
Cody Johns, 29, of Bear and Christopher Troutman, 31, of Elkton, MD, were taken into custody without incident at the scene by Newark officers. Camryn Thomas, 23, of New Castle, was also taken into custody at the scene. She had been a passenger in Johns’ vehicle and entered the apartment with them at the time of the assault.
All three suspects were transported to Newark Police headquarters where they were charged as follows:
Cody Johns
- Burglary First Degree
- Conspiracy Second Degree
- Assault Third Degree (2 counts)
- Offensive Touching
- Menacing
Christopher Troutman
- Burglary First Degree
- Conspiracy Second Degree
- Offensive Touching (2 counts)
Camryn Thomas
- Criminal Trespass First Degree
Troutman and Thomas appeared before Justice of the Peace Court #11 by video and were released on their own recognizance. Johns appeared before the same court by video from the hospital where he was admitted. He received $14,600 secured bail and his custody was turned over to the Delaware Department of Correction at the hospital.
The male resident of the apartment, who shot Johns, has not been charged with a crime.
Anyone with information about this incident is asked to contact Det. A. Whitt at (302) 366-7100 x. 3483 or awhitt@newark.de.us. Additional methods for providing information to Newark Police can be found on our tips page, where reward information may also be available.
The original release can be found here.
