Mother criticizes plea deal in 2022 shooting death of son
WILMINGTON, N.C. (WWAY) — A mother is speaking out after what she calls an unjust plea agreement in the case of her son’s 2022 shooting death.
Tracion Flood, a professor at the University of Mississippi, has spent the last four years grieving the loss of her son, Tyshaun Delts, who was shot and killed April 5, 2022.
“When I think of my son, I think of the smile that he stole from me,” Flood said. “I think of his light spirit. I think of his talents, he was very talented.”
According to Flood, Delts was shot around 2:30 p.m. after stepping outside his great-grandmother’s home in the 200 block of North 11th Street. She said two men in a car had been circling the neighborhood before opening fire, shooting Delts four times.
“I can only imagine my son laying there, trying to breath,” Flood said.
Tre’quan Jenkins and Cameron Gerald were both charged in connection with Delts’ death. Jenkins later entered an Alford plea to second-degree murder and is serving a 25-year prison sentence.
Flood is now condemning a plea agreement reached Tuesday for Gerald, who was sentenced to 67 months for accessory after the fact of first-degree murder.
“67 months which is about five years, he’s been at the New Hanover County jail for four, so that means as soon as he goes to Raleigh and gets processed he’s on his way right back out the door,” Flood said.
In a statement to WWAY, District Attorney Jason Smith said:
“The District Attorney’s Office works tirelessly to perform its vital law enforcement role in the community, always pursuing justice for victims who have experienced unimaginable tragedies while holding offenders accountable for the highest crime that we can prove at trial. In all cases, the District Attorney’s Office must deal with the evidence and facts of each case and apply those facts to the law to make appropriate, difficult decisions as to how a case should be handled. Plea agreements are a necessary part of the justice system and are a tool to achieve offender accountability and a guaranteed outcome for victims. The entry of a plea should in no way reflect upon the value of the life taken or the loss suffered, but the strengths and merits of the case and the efficient use of court resources.
In this case, my office was not going to be able to prove at trial that Cameron Gerald had knowledge that Tre’quan Jenkins was going to kill Tyshaun Delts. The evidence showed that he assisted Jenkins in escaping arrest by driving him from the scene of the homicide, which supports a conviction for accessory after the fact. My office was in regular communication with the victim’s family about this. Although they may not agree with the outcome, my prosecutors and I take the ultimate responsibility for doing what is in the best interest of justice on each and every case.”
Flood said the outcome should serve as a warning to the community.
“If we do not stand together, this will continue to happen, it’s a wake up call, we must come together, we must unite, a house divided will never flourish,” she said.
