Mugshot of Jamari Hendrickson. Photo Credit: THE VIRGIN ISLANDS POLICE DEPARTMENT.
ST. CROIX — A man who allegedly fired three shots into the air during a confrontation at Paradise Mills is now facing multiple gun-related charges after police recovered an unlicensed firearm connected to the incident.
The case began on October 27, when two women arrived at the Wilbur Francis Command police station to report an argument that had escalated into gunfire, according to the affidavit. They told officers they had gone to the Paradise Mills apartment complex to confront a woman who had allegedly assaulted their mother. When they arrived, the woman’s son was outside, and they instructed him to get his mother.
According to the women, the woman they sought stepped outside, but her brother, Jamari Hendrickson, suddenly emerged from behind the building pointing a gun at them and threatening to shoot. One of the women said she ran to her car in fear, leaving her sandals behind, while her sister froze in place. The woman who remained said she attempted to defuse the situation, but Hendrickson raised the gun and fired three shots into the air, prompting both women to flee the area.
Several neighbors later confirmed hearing the argument, followed by gunshots. Police records show that Hendrickson did not possess a license to carry a firearm or ammunition in the Virgin Islands.
On November 12, officers executed a search warrant at the apartment. Inside a backpack stored under the bathroom sink, police found a firearm matching the description provided by the two women. The bag reportedly also contained a pay slip with Hendrickson’s name, and his sister confirmed to police that the gun belonged to him. She told officers she had last seen it on the day of the incident.
Hendrickson’s sister acknowledged that the two women had come to her residence and that her son alerted her to their arrival. She said she informed her brother before stepping outside, though she claimed she did not see him with the weapon during the confrontation. She said she did see him holding it when he returned inside and did not realize he had left the firearm at her home. She also stated she did not hear the shots. After police located the gun, she contacted her brother and urged him to surrender to authorities.
Hendrickson turned himself in on Thursday morning, reportedly admitting ownership of the firearm but declining to offer a statement about the altercation. He was subsequently arrested and charged — under two separate matters — with carrying of a firearm openly or concealed, possession or sale of ammunition, first degree reckless endangerment, discharging or aiming firearms, and third degree assault.
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