WILMINGTON, DELAWARE — A shooting at ChristianaCare's Wilmington Hospital on June 16, 2020, around 3:30 p.m. resulted in one fatality and left another person in critical condition. The incident prompted a response from Spotlight Delaware, a news outlet whose Editor-in-Chief, Jacob Owens, described the organization's approach to covering breaking news.

Spotlight Delaware, which has been in operation for more than two years, typically focuses on in-depth coverage. "When we were launched, we really focused on what the industry might call a day two story," Owens said. The organization's office is located at CSC Station in downtown Wilmington, positioning it less than two miles from the hospital.

On the day of the shooting, several staff members at Spotlight Delaware received reports of the incident. Owens indicated that the news outlet generally does not prioritize breaking news, as other media organizations often handle prompt reporting. However, the nature of the hospital shooting led them to cover it due to public interest. "While we internally might have this ethos, I think many of our readers and listeners out there really just see us as an additional news outlet and maybe don't see that nuance all the time, and might question, 'Why didn't you cover one of the big tragedies in our state in recent years?'" he stated.

Owens described the initial uncertainty surrounding the event, noting that alerts indicated gunshots but did not specify whether the incident was inside or outside the hospital. "At that time, we weren't really sure how many people may have been injured or killed," Owens said. He noted that providing accurate information to the public in such scenarios was important. Deputy Editor Karl Baker was the first from Spotlight Delaware to respond to the scene. Baker lives north of the city and went to the hospital on his way home. Baker informed Owens that the situation was serious.