Mugshot of Elroy Pedro. Photo Credit: THE VIRGIN ISLANDS POLICE DEPARTMENT
ST. CROIX — A man is now facing felony assault charges after admitting to firing his gun to frighten off two people using his yard as a thoroughfare.
According to court documents, last Thursday, January 11, police responded to shots fired in Hospital Street, Frederiksted. While searching the area, Elroy Pedro, a Hospital Street resident, approached the officers and told them that he was the one who fired the shots.
He said that he was on the back porch of his house when he saw two “male individuals” walking through the rear of his property. He told them not to walk through his yard, but one of them reportedly informed him that they would be passing back. The pair subsequently went to the neighbor’s house, and Pedro went inside, retrieved his firearm, and returned to the back yard to wait for the duo to return.
While he waited, he said, he also grabbed a 2x2 piece of lumber that was close by. When he saw the two individuals walking back, he confronted them. He told officers that one of them “started to puff up his chest” and thus Pedro said he pushed him backwards with the stick, a move which sparked a physical altercation, according to court documents.
Pedro said he then took his firearm and fired shots in the air and toward the ground, causing the two males to flee.
Police noted a hair pick and a live 9mm round in the area where Pedro said he waited for the two individuals. Forensic technicians recovered another live round and two spent casings from the scene. Pedro handed over his licensed firearm, a black 9mm Smith & Wesson Model Shield.
Having searched for the male individuals with no luck, police transported Pedro to the Wilbur H. Francis Command Police Station to provide a video statement, before returning to the area. They spoke to the neighbor and her minor child, who told them that she came outside to see Pedro in a squatting position, aiming his weapon at one of the individuals, who were identified as minors. The girl said she also heard a shot fire as one of the boys was running away from Pedro.
Police found the mother of the two boys, 14 and 12 years old. She and her two children went to the police station to provide video statements. In their statements, the brothers said they were walking through Pedro’s yard when he told them not to pass through. They reportedly told him that they were going to the neighbor’s house, where their friend lived. On their way back, they recounted how Pedro approached them with a stick in his hand, and swung at the older brother, striking him in the left forearm. That precipitated the fight, with the younger brother jumping in to help.
According to court documents, the brothers said they saw Pedro pick up something from the grass, which turned out to be a gun. They explained that Pedro aimed his weapon at the younger brother. As they fled, Pedro fired, with the bullet striking the ground near the 12-year-old's foot. The boys then ran off, eventually regrouping before heading home.
Surveillance video seen by the police reportedly shows Pedro striking the older boy several times with the piece of wood while the child backed away. The footage also reportedly shows the homeowner pursuing the younger boy as he ran away, firing several shots after the fleeing child.
Pedro was arrested and charged with third-degree assault. On the same evening, Judge Harold Willocks reduced his bail to $7,500 from the $25,000 as stated by chart, and granted Pedro release prior to his first appearance in court.
At his advice of rights hearing on Friday, Magistrate Ernest Morris Jr. found probable cause to charge Pedro with attempted murder, child abuse, aggravated assault and battery, first and third-degree assault, brandishing/exhibiting a deadly weapon, and disturbance of the peace by fighting.
Bail was adjusted to $75,000, however a property bond of $7,500 was allowed for pre-trial release, with the remainder posted as an unsecured bond. Pedro is now scheduled to appear in court on January 31 for his arraignment.
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