VIPD units in the Profit Hill area Tuesday night, where police later said 20-year-old Amani Daley was found shot dead in a case connected to the Luna Bar double homicide. Photo Credit: V.I. CONSORTIUM.
The V.I. Police Department said Wednesday that the killing of 20-year-old Amani Daley, whose body was found Tuesday evening near the Profit Hills community on St. Croix, is connected to the June 7 Luna Bar double homicide that left two men dead and two others injured.
The disclosure came during a VIPD press briefing called after a recent surge of fatal shootings across the territory, including the death of 15-year-old Tre’Vante Etienne on St. Thomas, two separate killings on St. Thomas on Tuesday, and the discovery of Daley’s body that same evening on St. Croix. The three Tuesday homicides pushed the territory’s 2026 homicide count to 20, evenly split between St. Croix and St. Thomas.
Deputy Chief Naomi Joseph, speaking for the St. Croix District, said the recent uptick in homicides on St. Croix began June 7 with the double homicide at Luna Bar in Peter’s Rest, where 31-year-old Wahili James and 34-year-old Samuel Rivera were killed. She said the latest homicide on St. Croix — Daley’s death near the Estate Profit Hill Housing Community — is tied to that case.
“I start with those two because our last homicide that we found, victim that we found last night, is connected to those two homicides,” Deputy Chief Joseph said, referring to James and Rivera. She said that as the case develops, police expect to be able to “safely say” they have closed out the double homicide and are now focusing on Daley’s killing.
The Consortium previously reported that the Luna Bar shooting occurred around 3:45 a.m. on June 7, after 911 received reports of a shooting at the Peter’s Rest establishment. Four people were shot. James and Rivera later died, while two other victims — a minor and a 30-year-old man — were reported in stable condition. VIPD later said preliminary findings suggested that a verbal altercation led to the shooting.
Daley was found Tuesday evening in a heavily vegetated area north of Profit Hills after a concerned citizen contacted the Criminal Investigation Bureau to report a possible body. Police said he appeared to have sustained several gunshot wounds to the upper body. During Wednesday’s briefing, Deputy Chief Joseph said Daley was found in the bushes across from the housing community and asked residents there to help investigators determine how he got there and who was with him.
“Did you see who took Mr. Daley into the bush?” she asked. “Crime Stoppers is your place to call and relay that information. You don’t have to say who you are, you don’t have to say anything about yourself.”
Deputy Chief Joseph said she heard Daley’s mother screaming for her son at the scene, a moment she used to emphasize that a victim’s background does not diminish the department’s duty to investigate or a family’s need for answers.
“At the end of the day, he was 20 years old, might have chosen the wrong kind of friends, but his life is no longer here,” she said. “He is gone, and his family is left behind asking for answers.”
She also addressed the killing of 45-year-old Rusiel Encarnacion, who was shot multiple times in the Whim area on Monday evening and later died from his injuries. Deputy Chief Joseph said some of the recent homicide victims were known to law enforcement, but stressed that their cases are still being investigated seriously.
“Despite the fact that they had criminal backgrounds, we're still investigating their homicides, and we still want to bring closure to the family members who love them,” she said. “Because good child, bad child, trust me, somebody loves him.”
On St. Thomas, Chief Deborah Hodge said the district is still seeking help in the killing of 15-year-old Tre’Vante Etienne, who was shot multiple times Friday afternoon in the area of Vester Gade. The Consortium previously reported that ShotSpotter alerted 911 to gunfire around 2:17 p.m. Friday, and that police found Tre’Vante responsive with multiple gunshot wounds before he was taken by ambulance to the Schneider Regional Medical Center, where he later died despite lifesaving efforts.
His death was followed by a public plea from his mother, who urged the community to stop protecting secrets and help her family find answers. Earlier this week, Lieutenant Governor Tregenza Roach said authorities had identified a possible person of interest in the case, though no formal arrest had been announced.
During Wednesday’s briefing, Chief Hodge said the public expressed outrage over Tre’Vante’s killing, but investigators still need cooperation.
“I recall listening to the mother of 15-year-old Travante Etienne saying that she know that if something had happened to one of her son friends, that he would have been there front and center assisting, but yet no one has come forward,” Chief Hodge said. “The community raged about it, understandably so, but at the same time, VIPD is not getting any assistance.”
She said police are often not present when shootings happen and must rely on people who were nearby, heard something, saw something or know the people involved.
“It is extremely frustrating and infuriating to respond to these cases and constantly be met by resistance,” Chief Hodge said. “That is not how our community should operate.”
The St. Thomas district was hit again Tuesday. At approximately 3:40 p.m., a concerned citizen called 911 to report shots fired in Hospital Ground. Officers found an unresponsive male who appeared to have sustained multiple gunshot wounds. The victim was later identified by next of kin as 23-year-old Asani Henry.
Hours later, at about 6:29 p.m., police received another report of shots fired, followed by reports of a male victim down in the Sanchez Town area. Officers and emergency personnel responded and found an unresponsive male, who was pronounced dead. His identity was being withheld pending notification of next of kin.
Chief Hodge said ShotSpotter alerted authorities to two separate incidents Tuesday, both ending in death. She extended condolences to the families of those killed and said the recent violence must be addressed collaboratively.
“I would like to remind the public that we are all connected, whether it’s through church, family, school,” she said. “This fight must be approached collaboratively.”
VIPD Commissioner Mario Brooks said community involvement is essential to solving the recent killings, while pushing back against what he described as a “negative narrative” centered on blame rather than cooperation.
“Every homicide, every shooting affects us just as much as it affects you,” Commissioner Brooks said. “So, a negative narrative of blaming and making blame doesn’t support us in any way. What supports us is when we come together as a community.”
He later said none of the recent shootings occurred in isolation, and that people were present when they happened. He said police officers are not always at the scene when violence occurs, but community members often are.
Commissioner Brooks also delivered a direct warning to those responsible for the shootings. “I have a message for you, the trigger pullers. You always get caught,” he said. “Might not be today, it might not be tomorrow, but you always get caught.”
Chief Deputy Attorney General Ian Clement said the V.I. Department of Justice is working with VIPD and, when appropriate, the U.S. Department of Justice to pursue the recent cases. He said three lives lost in one night demands the full attention of prosecutors.
“The rule of law works in both directions, accountability for those who commit these acts and due process,” Mr. Clement said, adding that the goal must be “real justice, not just arrests but convictions.”
Speaking on behalf of Governor Albert Bryan Jr. and in his capacity as acting governor, Lieutenant Governor Roach said each killing represents not only a death, but the loss of potential within the community. He said one of the victims was employed at the Department of Human Services, underscoring how widely the violence is felt across families, agencies and neighborhoods.
“Each young person lost, we have no idea what gifts that person was meant to bring to this community, because they won’t get the opportunity to show that,” Mr. Roach said.
Mr. Roach also urged residents not to undermine police operations by posting the locations of checkpoints or weapon checks on social media.
“If you go on social media and say, ‘Well, the police are at this intersection doing this, so go the other way,’” he said, “in doing that, you support the efforts of the crime element in our community.”
The briefing ended with a unified message from law enforcement and the administration: police say they are investigating, prosecutors say they are prepared to move cases when evidence supports charges, and officials say the community must decide whether it will help or remain silent.
VIPD is asking anyone with information to contact the Criminal Investigation Bureau, the Major Crimes Unit, 911, or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS. Police emphasized that information can be provided anonymously.
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