Police and EMTs on scene of Friday's homicide on St. Croix, which occurred at about 11:43 a.m. at Green Cay Beach just northeast of the Cheeseburgers in Paradise Restaurant. The deceased victim was identified as 52-year-old Arnold Jarvis. By. ERNICE GILBERT/ V.I. CONSORTIUM
ST. CROIX — The man identified as 52-year-old Arnold Jarvis who was shot and killed just before noon Friday while in his vehicle at Green Cay Beach on St. Croix, was the same individual that was being shot at on Jan. 27 when a stray bullet struck a female victim in Peter's Rest on January 27, two law enforcement officers with intimate knowledge of the matter have confirmed to the Consortium.
The victim of the Jan. 27 incident, identified by next of kin as 46-year-old Stacie Schjang, was in her bedroom near a window in her Peter's Rest Home, located just south of the El Sol Bar & Restaurant on the road separating Peter's Rest from Castle Coakley. The single gunshot wound resulted in the death of Schjang.
Police Commissioner Ray Martinez declined to comment on the matter, but he confirmed to the Consortium Saturday morning that Schjang and Jarvis were acquainted, though he did not elaborate on the extent of their relationship.
During a Jan. 27 press briefing held by the V.I. Police Department following the Schjang homicide earlier the same day, Police Commander Lt. Naomi Joseph said there were two vehicles in the Castle Coakley area, including a white car whose occupant or occupants were shooting at a brown vehicle at the front. "We need help identifying the occupants of the vehicle and the vehicle itself. So I'm asking you, if you were on the route in Castle Coakley or you were on Peter's Rest Road, or Queen Mary Highway whether east or west from the Sion Farm intersection, we need footage from eight o'clock this morning down to 8:30 a.m. so we can see who, what, what they were wearing, who they were — we need help," Comdr. Joseph said.
Jarvis was shot dead just before noon Friday at the Green Cay Beach on St. Croix's east end, the Consortium learned not too long after the incident occurred. The V.I.P.D. has since corroborated the information.
The 911 Emergency Call Center said it received notification of the incident when a concerned resident called at about 11:43 a.m. reporting multiple shots fired in the vicinity of the Cheeseburgers in Paradise. Officers then descended on the location, and upon investigation learned that the shooting occurred at the beach area.
The beach is accessed through the first left entrance after passing the Cheeseburgers in Paradise Restaurant heading east on the main road. A sign near the entrance reads, "Southgate Coastal Reserve". The dirt road is roughly a 120-yard walk before arriving at the beach.
The victim was shot multiple times in the upper body while in the driver's side of a gray SUV in bushes near the cul-de-sac at the beach, according to V.I.P.D. Director of Communications Glen Dratte. Emergency Medical Technicians examined the victim, a Black male, and determined that there were no vital signs. The deceased was carried out by the Medical Examiner's Office.
When the Consortium arrived on the scene, two ambulances were on location, and V.I.P.D. special investigators, including Crime Scene Investigation (CSI) personnel, were there as well. Because the matter was still active, the V.I.P.D. blocked access to the beach to allow officers to perform their duties.
V.I.P.D. officers investigate the scene of a homicide at the Green Cay Beach on St. Croix on Fri., Feb. 4, 2022. (Credit: Ernice Gilbert, VIC)
Today's homicide was the sixth in the U.S. Virgin Islands for 2022. In St. Thomas, an incident that occurred on January 19 where a police officer shot and killed a man is considered a homicide, though according to Police Commissioner Ray Martinez the V.I.P.D. believes that when the investigation is concluded it will be considered a justified homicide. The second St. Thomas homicide occurred on January 2, the day the female victim who was shot during a robbery on Dec. 4 at the Glitters Store at the Havensight Mall died. Mr. Martinez said the latter incident is considered a USVI homicide even if the victim died on the U.S. mainland, because the crime that led to her death occurred in the territory.
On St. Croix, the first incident took place on Jan. 17 where two 17-year-old minors were shot to death in Castle Coakley; and the third on Jan. 27 when a stray bullet struck and killed well-known St. Croix native Stacie Schjang at her home in Peter's Rest. Today's homicide carried the violent deaths in the territory for 2022 to six.
The V.I.P.D. is asking anyone with information about this incident to send an anonymous tip to Crime Stoppers USVI here.
