Delaware News

DOJ secures lengthy sentence for shooting, assault of corrections officer

Department of Justice | Department of Justice Press Releases | Newsroom | Date Posted: Tuesday, June 3, 2025


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A 21-year-old Kent County man has pled guilty to multiple charges relating to a 2023 shooting in Camden, Delaware. On May 27th, 2025, Jay’Mere Matthews was sentenced to 11 years’ incarceration followed by descending levels of probation. Matthews previously pled Guilty but Mentally Ill to Assault in the First Degree and Possession of a Firearm During the Commission of a Felony and Guilty to Assault in the Second Degree of a Correction Officer.
“The shooting carried out by Matthews was a deeply heinous act with no regard whatsoever for the safety of others. I am grateful for this sentencing,” said Attorney General Kathy Jennings. “It should also be said that we know all too well in this state the risks that correction officers face on a daily basis; this sentencing makes clear that we will not tolerate any threats to their safety.”
Matthews was arrested following an incident at the Redner’s grocery store in Camden, Delaware, where he shot an unarmed employee on August 22nd, 2023. While in custody at Sussex Correctional Institution for that crime, he assaulted a correction officer on December 25th, 2023. Matthews will receive a mental health evaluation and may serve a portion of his sentence at the Delaware Psychiatric Center before being remanded to the Department of Correction.
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DOJ secures lengthy sentence for shooting, assault of corrections officer

Department of Justice | Department of Justice Press Releases | Newsroom | Date Posted: Tuesday, June 3, 2025


Navy blue background featuring the Delaware state seal in the center
A 21-year-old Kent County man has pled guilty to multiple charges relating to a 2023 shooting in Camden, Delaware. On May 27th, 2025, Jay’Mere Matthews was sentenced to 11 years’ incarceration followed by descending levels of probation. Matthews previously pled Guilty but Mentally Ill to Assault in the First Degree and Possession of a Firearm During the Commission of a Felony and Guilty to Assault in the Second Degree of a Correction Officer.
“The shooting carried out by Matthews was a deeply heinous act with no regard whatsoever for the safety of others. I am grateful for this sentencing,” said Attorney General Kathy Jennings. “It should also be said that we know all too well in this state the risks that correction officers face on a daily basis; this sentencing makes clear that we will not tolerate any threats to their safety.”
Matthews was arrested following an incident at the Redner’s grocery store in Camden, Delaware, where he shot an unarmed employee on August 22nd, 2023. While in custody at Sussex Correctional Institution for that crime, he assaulted a correction officer on December 25th, 2023. Matthews will receive a mental health evaluation and may serve a portion of his sentence at the Delaware Psychiatric Center before being remanded to the Department of Correction.
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Graphic that represents delaware news on a mobile phone

Keep up to date by receiving a daily digest email, around noon, of current news release posts from state agencies on news.delaware.gov.

Here you can subscribe to future news updates.