WILMINGTON, DE – Dean Sutton Jr. has been sentenced to ten years in prison for the 2021 fatal shooting of Larry Porter in Wilmington’s Brandywine Village neighborhood. A Superior Court Judge handed down the sentence on September 1, following Sutton’s convictions for Manslaughter and Reckless Endangering 1st Degree.
On April 2, 2021, Sutton and his cousin engaged in a physical altercation with Porter and his son. During the conflict, Sutton fired a gun, prompting Porter’s son to flee. Sutton shot multiple rounds at the fleeing son before turning the weapon on Porter, who was fatally wounded.
Attorney General Kathy Jennings described the incident as a “devastating example of senseless gun violence.” Wilmington Police Chief Wilfredo Campos expressed hope that the sentencing would provide some closure for the Porter family and the community.
Sutton had previously been involved in a fatal shooting outside a bar in Newark, DE, in November 2020. That case remains under investigation. Sutton claimed to have acted in self-defense in both incidents.
