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ST. THOMAS — A wave of shootings in St. Thomas that started on Saturday continued into Christmas Day and left a total of five men dead, the Virgin Islands Police Department has confirmed.
Between Saturday and Sunday in St. Thomas, 6 people were shot and 3 died. Then on Monday another man was shot to death in Hospital Ground, bringing the total deaths to 4 in three days, according to the V.I.P.D.
Then on Christmas Day in the wee hours of the morning, a shooting at the Banana Split Bar on Brookman Road left yet another man dead.
Hospital Ground Shooting on Monday
According to V.I.P.D. Public Information Officer Toby Derima, on Monday at approximately 11:07 p.m., VIPD officers responded to the area of Hospital Ground after being notified of the sound of gunfire. Upon their arrival, officers located an individual in the roadway. Further examination revealed that the unresponsive male was shot about the body.
The victim was subsequently identified as 31-year-old Kalico Canton.
Christmas Day Homicide
According to Mr. Derima, on Dec. 25 at approximately 4:15 a.m., the 911 Call Center was notified of a shooting outside the Banana Split Bar on Brookman Road. Officers were dispatched to the location where they found a man with gunshot wounds about the body. The victim was transported via ambulance to the Roy Lester Schneider Hospital and Medical Center, where he perished from his injuries. The victim was identified as 29-year-old Francois Champagne.
The homicides are being investigated by the V.I.P.D.'s Major Crimes Unit.
If you have information that may lead to the arrest of anyone involved in the shootings, that information, if provided to Crime Stoppers USVI here, may result in you receiving a monetary reward. All tips are confidential, and if monetary reward is to be received, the funds would be delivered to a secret location given by the tipster.
