Mugshot of Yahya Daniel. Photo Credit: THE VIRGIN ISLANDS POLICE DEPARTMENT.
ST. CROIX – A man who works in the Legislature as an enforcement officer is now facing charges of attempted murder after shooting at a neighbor during a dispute over lawn care.
According to court documents, police were summoned to a residence in Estate St. John, Christiansted on Wednesday morning to investigate reports of shots fired in the area. Responding officers spoke to a woman who said that her neighbor Yahya Daniel had discharged his firearm in her son's direction.
Daniel also reportedly called the 911 Emergency Call Center to report his actions, which he said were in response to stone throwing by the son in question.
Officers first asked Daniel to disarm, a request to which he reportedly reluctantly complied. When they spoke to the woman's son, he told them that Daniel had been cutting the grass near the fence that separates the two properties. The man said he asked Daniel to stop cutting the grass, as the activity was causing stones to be flung up, striking the 40-foot trailer the man lived in. To emphasize his request, he said he threw some gravel back across the fence line onto Daniels’ property, and that's when his neighbor fired his gun.
One of the two shots discharged by Daniel struck his neighbor's trailer. Luckily, nobody was inside at the time.
Daniel told police that he was disturbed from his yard work by a stone that was thrown by his neighbor. He looked up to see the man bent over, about to pick up more stones, and said that he feared for his life. That is when he unholstered his weapon and fired the shots at the other man, before heading inside to call 911.
Video footage provided by Daniel corroborated the narrative told by both men. Officers noted that during the entire exchange – of stones and gunfire – the men were separated by a distance of about 5 feet.
Daniel was arrested and charged with first-degree attempted murder, discharging or aiming firearms, and first and third degree assault. Bail was set at $100,000, and an initial court appearance was scheduled for Dec 26. Magistrate Yolan Brow-Ross did allow Daniel to go home for Christmas, however, ordering a payment of $205 in total to secure his release from detention into house arrest until his first court appearance. As of press time, however, there are no court records to indicate whether Daniel's advice of rights hearing was convened.
Arraignment for Mr. Daniel is scheduled for January 14, 2026.
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