Some nights are supposed to be about laughter, music, costumes, and making memories with friends. October 28, 2023, should have been just another night out for 21-year-old A’Briana “Bre” Ingram. Instead, a night connected to a Halloween celebration ended in gunfire, leaving a young woman dead, another woman wounded, and a family facing a loss that no parent should ever have to endure.
Abriana was not just a name in a police report. She was a daughter, a sister, a granddaughter, a friend, and a young woman whose life was filled with personality, warmth, and possibilities. According to her obituary, she was known for her infectious smile, her sense of humor, and her willingness to make others feel welcome.
Her life was taken in Selbyville, Delaware, in a shooting that authorities said followed an altercation involving other people at a Halloween party. Investigators reported that Abriana and the other woman who was shot were not involved in that altercation. <Cite refs={[“turn840293search2″,”turn840293search3”]} />
This is Abriana’s story, the circumstances surrounding her death, and the questions that remain about a young life taken far too soon.
Who Was A’Briana “Bre” Ingram?
A’Briana Kenese Ingram was born on August 3, 2002, in Trenton, New Jersey. Her family eventually moved to Delaware, where she grew up and built the relationships that would shape her life. She was 21 years old when she was killed.
Her obituary paints a picture of a young woman who made an impression on the people around her. Known affectionately as Bre, she was described as bubbly, funny, caring, and full of life. She had a way of making people smile, even if they had only met her briefly.
Abriana graduated from Lake Forest High School in 2020. After graduation, she worked at Hibbett Sports in Milford and later at the Harrington Welcome Inn in Harrington, Delaware. She enjoyed meeting people and making new friends, and her obituary described her as someone who cared deeply about the people in her life.
Family was especially important to Abriana. She shared a close bond with her sister, A’Ryonna, whom her obituary described as her best friend. She also loved spending time with her younger sister, A’Donyss, and the rest of her family.
Abriana had a nurturing personality. Her obituary described her as someone who looked out for younger children, welcomed others, and wanted the people around her to feel included and confident. She also loved fashion and had a strong sense of personal style.
These details matter because they remind us that Abriana was a whole person, not simply the victim of a violent crime. She had a personality, relationships, memories, and a future that should have continued well beyond her twenty-first year.
Her obituary, published by Pippin Funeral Home, remembers a young woman whose kindness and laughter left a lasting impression on those who knew her. <Cite refs={[“turn840293search2”]} />
The Night of October 28, 2023
Shortly before midnight on Saturday, October 28, 2023, Delaware State Police responded to a reported shooting in the parking lot of a strip mall at 36334 Dupont Boulevard in Selbyville, Delaware.
According to the police announcement released the following day, troopers arrived and observed several vehicles leaving the scene. They also discovered numerous shell casings scattered throughout the parking lot.
Investigators soon learned that a 21-year-old woman from Milford had suffered a gunshot wound and was at a nearby hospital. She was later pronounced dead. On October 30, Delaware State Police identified her as Abriana Ingram.
A second woman, age 30 and from Seaford, Delaware, had also been shot. She was transported to a nearby hospital, treated for a gunshot wound to her upper extremity, and released. <Cite refs={[“turn840293search3″,”turn840293search0”]} />
The early police account described a frightening scene: gunfire in a crowded parking lot, vehicles leaving, shell casings on the ground, and people trying to understand what had happened.
But the most heartbreaking detail was that, according to investigators, Abriana had not been involved in the confrontation that preceded the shooting.
She was attempting to get to her car when she was struck in the upper torso.
A young woman trying to reach her vehicle was caught in the violence of an altercation that authorities said did not involve her. <Cite refs={[“turn840293search3″,”turn840293search1”]} />
How a Halloween Celebration Turned Violent
As part of their preliminary investigation, Delaware State Police reported that a Halloween party had taken place at a business within the strip mall.
At some point during the event, a disagreement escalated into a fight. Party organizers reportedly instructed attendees to disperse, but the altercation continued outside in the parking lot.
Police said an unidentified suspect then displayed a handgun and began firing.
The gunfire struck Abriana as she attempted to reach her car. The second woman was seated inside her vehicle when it was hit by bullets. Neither woman was involved in the original altercation, according to the preliminary findings released by police. <Cite refs={[“turn840293search3″,”turn840293search1”]} />
The distinction is important. The disagreement and fight were reportedly between other individuals, while the two women who were shot were described by authorities as uninvolved.
The person who allegedly opened fire fled the area in an unknown direction. Troopers arriving at the scene encountered vehicles leaving the parking lot, and investigators recovered multiple shell casings.
Those details raised several questions. Who was involved in the original disagreement? Who was present when the fight moved outside? Who saw the gunman? And among the people who left the area, was there someone who knew exactly what happened?
Those are questions for investigators to answer through evidence and witness accounts, not assumptions. What the public reports establish is that the shooting occurred after an altercation and that the suspect had not been publicly identified in the initial police announcements.
The Investigation: What Police Have Shared
The Delaware State Police Homicide Unit took responsibility for investigating Abriana’s death.
In its October 29, 2023, announcement, police asked anyone with information to contact Detective A. Bluto at 302-741-2859. Investigators also encouraged people to send a private message to Delaware State Police or contact Delaware Crime Stoppers.
The next day, police publicly identified Abriana as the victim and reiterated their request for information. <Cite refs={[“turn840293search3″,”turn840293search0”]} />
The initial announcements did not publicly identify a suspect or explain whether investigators believed the shooting was directed at a particular individual. They also did not establish that the person who fired the weapon had been arrested.
In researching this case, I found the original Delaware State Police releases and local reporting from the immediate aftermath. I did not find a reliable, publicly reported update confirming a resolution of Abriana’s homicide in the sources reviewed for this article. That does not establish that investigators have made no progress; investigative information may not be public, and the status of a case can change.
What remains clear from the available reporting is that Abriana’s death began with an act of violence that investigators believed involved a person who fled the scene, leaving behind physical evidence and people who may have witnessed some part of what happened.
A case like this depends on the careful collection of evidence, the reconstruction of events, and the willingness of witnesses to share what they know.
Sometimes, the smallest detail can help investigators connect pieces that initially seem unrelated.
A Family Left to Remember Bre
Behind every homicide investigation is a family whose lives have been changed forever.
Abriana’s obituary describes someone who was deeply loved by her parents, sisters, grandparents, extended family, and friends. She was remembered as a person who wanted to help others, who enjoyed making people laugh, and who could make those around her feel included.
She was only 21.
There were years she should have had the opportunity to experience: more birthdays, more family gatherings, more conversations with her sisters, and more chances to discover what her future might hold.
Her family is left to carry the memories of the person she was while also confronting the circumstances of how she died.
It is easy to focus on the police timeline, the location, the shell casings, and the unanswered questions. Those details are important. But they should never overshadow the person at the center of the case.
Abriana was more than the young woman who was shot in a parking lot. She was Bre, a daughter and sister whose obituary remembered her as radiant, kind, funny, and full of life. <Cite refs={[“turn840293search2”]} />
My Criminal Justice Perspective: Questions That Deserve a Closer Look
As someone with a background in Criminal Justice, I believe it is important to distinguish documented facts from theories. The following are investigative questions I would want to see explored. They are not claims about what definitely happened, and they are not accusations against any individual.
1. Was the shooter targeting someone else?
Police reported that the shooting followed a fight and that Abriana was not involved in the altercation. That raises an important question: was the shooter attempting to harm a specific person, or did the gunfire strike people who were not the intended targets?
One possibility is that the suspect intended to shoot someone connected to the original disagreement and that Abriana was tragically caught in the violence. Another possibility is that the suspect fired into the parking lot without carefully distinguishing between individuals.
The public information does not establish the shooter’s intended target, if there was one. Investigators would need to examine witness statements, the sequence of events, physical evidence, and any available video to evaluate these possibilities.
2. Who was involved in the original altercation?
The reported fight is an important part of the timeline. Investigators would need to establish what triggered it, who participated, who attempted to stop it, and who followed the dispute into the parking lot.
That does not mean everyone involved in the argument knew about the shooting beforehand or had anything to do with it. It means the sequence of events may help investigators identify the people who saw the suspect, heard statements before the gunfire, or observed how the confrontation developed.
A detailed timeline could help separate what witnesses directly observed from what they heard from others afterward.
3. Could surveillance footage help reconstruct the shooting?
The initial police report noted that several vehicles were leaving the parking lot when troopers arrived. That makes the movements of people and vehicles potentially important to the investigation.
If surveillance footage from the business or nearby properties was available, investigators could examine it for the arrival of vehicles, the movement of partygoers, the progression of the fight, and the suspect’s departure.
Even footage that did not capture the shooting itself could help establish the timeline or corroborate witness accounts. Whether usable footage existed or was recovered has not been established in the public reports I reviewed.
4. What can the physical evidence tell investigators?
Police reported finding numerous shell casings at the scene. That evidence could be important when combined with other forensic findings, witness accounts, and any recovered firearm.
Investigators may be able to use the physical evidence to assess the number and location of shots, reconstruct aspects of the shooting, and determine whether evidence can be connected to other investigations.
However, shell casings alone do not identify a shooter. Any conclusions would need to be supported by the full body of evidence.
A fresh review of available physical evidence may also be worth considering as forensic methods and investigative databases evolve.
5. Is there someone who has not yet shared everything they know?
In cases involving crowded events, information can be spread across many people. One person may have seen the beginning of an argument. Another may have witnessed the gunman. Someone else may have noticed a vehicle or heard a conversation afterward.
Not every witness will have seen the same thing, and conflicting recollections do not automatically mean someone is lying. Investigators must compare accounts with the physical evidence and other independently verified information.
It is possible that someone has information they have not shared with police. It is also possible that a person who initially believed they had nothing useful to offer may remember an important detail later.
Anyone with direct knowledge should contact investigators rather than attempting to investigate or confront anyone personally.
Why Witnesses Matter
One of the most significant details in the original police announcement is that several vehicles were seen leaving the area as troopers arrived. That observation does not establish that the people in those vehicles were involved in the crime. People may have left because they were frightened, confused, or simply trying to get away from a dangerous situation.
But it does reinforce how important it may be to identify people who were present.
Investigators may need to distinguish among people who witnessed the original fight, those who saw the shooting, those who heard the gunfire but did not see the suspect, and those who may have observed the suspect leaving.
Even a small observation can be valuable when it can be independently verified. A description of clothing, a vehicle, a direction of travel, or a statement heard before the shooting might help fill a gap in the timeline.
If you were present that night and have information, you do not need to know whether it is the missing piece before contacting law enforcement. That is for investigators to evaluate.
Remembering Abriana Beyond the Headlines
When a young person is killed, the circumstances of their death can become the first and sometimes only thing the public remembers.
I do not want that to happen to Abriana.
Her obituary describes a young woman who loved her family, enjoyed meeting new people, cared for younger children, and made others laugh. She had graduated from high school and begun working. She had a life that was still unfolding.
Her family should have had the chance to watch her grow older, celebrate her accomplishments, and see the person she would become.
Instead, they were left with grief and questions about a night that should never have ended this way.
Writing about cases like Abriana’s is not simply about recounting violence. It is about keeping the victim’s name visible, treating the known facts responsibly, and reminding people that an unresolved homicide affects far more than a police file.
Abriana was 21. She mattered before October 28, 2023, and she matters now.
Someone May Have Information
Delaware State Police asked anyone with information about Abriana’s homicide to come forward.
If you witnessed the altercation, were at the Halloween event, saw the shooting, noticed a person or vehicle leaving the area, or have information that could help establish the timeline, please contact investigators.
Delaware State Police Homicide Unit
- Detective A. Bluto: 302-741-2859
- Delaware Crime Stoppers: 1-800-847-3333
- You can also send a private message to the Delaware State Police through their official Facebook page.
These contact details were published in the police announcements following the shooting. If you have information, share it with law enforcement rather than confronting anyone or spreading unverified allegations. <Cite refs={[“turn840293search0″,”turn840293search3”]} />
Until Every Case is Solved
Abriana “Bre” Ingram deserved the chance to live her life, to grow, to laugh with her sisters, to make memories with her family, and to discover everything the future held for her.
Her death was not simply another headline about a shooting. It was the loss of a young woman who was deeply loved and whose story deserves to be told with care and dignity.
The available public reports describe a shooting that followed an altercation involving other people, an unidentified suspect who fled, and two women who were shot despite not being involved in the confrontation. The questions surrounding the shooting deserve continued attention, and anyone with relevant information has an opportunity to help investigators.
Abriana was more than the way she died. She was Bre, and she should be remembered for the life she lived, the people she loved, and the joy her family says she brought into the world.
The cases may be cold. The questions are still burning.
Sources and Further Reading
- Delaware State Police. “State Police Detectives Investigating Homicide in Selbyville.” October 29, 2023.
https://dsp.delaware.gov/2023/10/29/state-police-detectives-investigating-homicide-in-selbyville/ - Delaware State Police. “Update – Victim Identified: State Police Detectives Investigating Homicide in Selbyville.” October 30, 2023.
https://dsp.delaware.gov/2023/10/30/update-victim-identified-state-police-detectives-investigating-homicide-in-selbyville/ - CoastTV. Madeleine Overturf. “Two Women Shot, One Killed at Selbyville Strip Mall Parking Lot.” October 29, 2023.
https://www.coasttv.com/news/two-women-shot-one-killed-at-selbyville-strip-mall-parking-lot/article_17506812-769e-11ee-8479-439356fd1415.html - Pippin Funeral Home. “A’Briana ‘Bre’ K. Ingram Obituary.”
https://www.pippinfuneralhome.com/obituary/ABrianaBre-Ingram
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