Community reacts to neighborhood homicide

“No bye. No questions. Turn the cameras off. Bye.” Those were the comments made by a group of people outside a home on Conrail Road south of Bridgeville on Thursday. They appeared to have known thirty-five year-old James F. Dickerson who was shot dead at property hours earlier.

Police say a woman called from the house at 12:41 a.m. on Thursday. She explained that people had broken in, fired off gun shots, and ran off.”

When officers got there, they found the victim, who was apparently a guest at the house, suffering from a gunshot wound to the head in the kitchen. He was later pronounced dead.

Jeanette Merritt says, “I was scared. I was really scared to even come outside.”

Merritt has lived on the road for six years and says nothing like this has ever happened. She says she was stunned by what she saw when she got up in the morning.

She continues, “I rode down and there was a couple looked like state cars and police SUV’s up at somebody’s house. I figured that must be where it’s happened. I don’t know the people but I’m really sorry for their loss.” 

Police say a woman and three other men were also at the house when this all happened, but they weren’t hurt.     

Merritt goes on, “I hope they catch whoever did it because you know it’s scary to know somebody out there is running around that’s killed somebody. It’s not a good feeling.”