ST. THOMAS — An armed robbery reported shortly after 1:00 a.m. Saturday on St. Thomas was followed a little more than an hour later by a second attempted robbery in Red Hook that ended with one of the alleged suspects dead, according to the V.I. Police Department.
VIPD said patrol units responded at approximately 1:09 a.m. on March 21 to a report of an armed robbery. When officers arrived, the victim told police he had been robbed by several males dressed in all black and wearing face masks. According to the release, one suspect approached him with a long rifle while the others carried handguns. Several items were taken from the victim, and the suspects then got into a gray SUV and fled the area.
A short while later, at about 2:37 a.m., police said they received another report in the Red Hook area involving a victim who was standing on the side of the roadway when a gray SUV pulled up. VIPD said a male dressed in all black, with his face covered and armed with a long gun, got out of the vehicle and attempted to pull a chain from the victim’s neck.
During that second encounter, the department said the Shot Spotter Detection System registered multiple gunshots in the Red Hook area. Shortly afterward, a concerned citizen called police to report that a male had been shot. Patrol units responded to Red Hook and found an unresponsive Black male on the ground with what appeared to be multiple gunshot wounds to his body.
According to VIPD, the investigation indicated that the man who had been shot was the same individual who exited the gray SUV carrying a rifle, and that the intended robbery victim fired the shots that struck him.
Emergency Medical Technicians responded to the scene and determined that the male had no vital signs. Police said his identity remains unknown as investigators work to identify him and notify his next of kin before releasing his name.
VIPD is asking anyone with information about the incident to contact the department at 340-774-2211 or the Major Crimes Unit by WhatsApp at 340-642-8449. People can also contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or call 911.
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