Troopers Make Arrest in Ellendale Murder, Victim Identified – First State Update

Delaware State Police arrested Tyja Best, 26, of Ellendale, Delaware, on a charge of murder following a homicide that occurred Saturday evening in Ellendale.

Authorities said on June 1, 2024, at approximately 10:47 p.m., troopers were called to a residence in the 13000 block of South Old State Road in Ellendale for a report of a shooting. When troopers arrived, they found Brian Halliday, 27, suffering from a gunshot wound to the chest in the front yard and began saving his life. He was transported to an area hospital where he was pronounced dead.

The preliminary investigation revealed that during an altercation between the victim and a woman, she pulled out a gun and shot him in the chest. The suspect fled the scene in an unknown direction. Through investigative resources, the Delaware State Police Homicide Unit identified Tyja Best as the suspect and, on June 4, 2024, Delaware State Police detectives and the Special Operations Response Team arrested Best without incident, according to police.

Best was taken to Troop 5 where she was charged with the crimes listed below, arraigned by the Magistrate of Court 3 and incarcerated at the Sussex Correctional Facility on $1,060,000 cash bail .

• Murder 1^st Diploma (Crime)
• Possession of a deadly weapon during the commission of a felony (Felony)
• Possession of a firearm by a prohibited person (crime)