It was a fun afternoon of culture, food and dancing that turned into a night of chaos that unraveled with gun shots and tear gas on the streets of Wilmington.
Neighbors told NBC10 that the Hispanic Parade and Street Festival on Sunday, Sept. 14 was cool with positive vibes, but then cars showed up doing burnouts leading to police getting called.
“The parade part was fine. It was after that when they started doing donuts out here. I saw three people get hit by a car doing donuts,” neighbor Tiffani Popeck said.
Police reported that they got calls about fights, illegal ATVs, property damage, drunk and disorderly people, people with guns and shots fired in the area of 4th and Dupont streets in Wilmington.
Several city, county and state police vehicles showed up, but officials said that about 1,000-1,500 people in the crowd refused to disperse.
The owner of the laundromat on a nearby corner shared video with NBC10 that showed people throwing things at police and then the chaos when police apparently used tear gas that sent the crowd scattering.
Nuestras Raices organized the 49th annual parade and hopes to return for year fifty in 2026. But, a spokesperson told NBC10 over the phone that, “if hosting the event brings public safety concerns, we will not return.”
The organization’s spokesperson also said they don’t believe their parade and the chaos that happened long after it had passed are directly connected.
The owner of a restaurant on the corner agreed that the parade itself wasn’t the problem, but it was the people who lingered and kept drinking.
Some neighbors said that they want the parade route to be reworked.
As of Monday afternoon, police do not know of any injuries, but an investigation is underway as they work to identify the suspects.
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