Crown Bay Marina Co-Owner Sues VIPD Commissioner Over Firearm License Renewal Denial

Kosei Ohno, one of the owners of Crown Bay Marina on St. Thomas, is suing Police Commissioner Mario Brooks and the Government of the Virgin Islands over alleged unlawfully blocking the renewal of his firearm licenses. According to the civil suit, filed on Thursday, Mr. Ohno first applied for concealed carry licenses for two pistols in 2018, and was approved for both. In 2021, he applied to renew the permits, and that was also approved. According to court documents, in August 2024, Mr. Ohno once again applied to renew his firearms licenses, but this time he says the V.I. Police Department refused to allow the renewal until he obtained a Virgin Islands driver's license. He applied again in October of the same year, and followed up on October 21 with a letter to Commissioner Brooks and the Director of the VIPD Firearms Bureau. In the letter, Mr. Ohno noted that several incidents at Crown Bay Marina over the years had prompted the need for him to obtain and carry firearms. He noted that...