Detectives on Tues. July 26, 2022 collected evidence and scanned surveillance camera footage following a shooting incident that left three men dead. Photo Credit: V.I. CONSORTIUM
ST. CROIX — Three men are dead on St. Croix in La Grande Princesse after sustaining multiple gunshot wounds during a Tuesday night shooting in the vicinity of a liquor store called Wa U Feel Like and the Titan Service Station, according to the V.I. Police Department.
V.I.P.D. Director of Communications Glen Dratte said that at about 9:10 p.m., the 911 Emergency Call Center received reports of shots fired and immediately dispatched officers to the scene.
Police officers and Emergency Medical Technicians determined that the three men were dead on arrival, according to Mr. Dratte. The bodies were transported to the Juan F. Luis Hospital by ambulance, where they will be then flown to St. Thomas for autopsy performance since the morgue at JFL — operated by the Medical Examiner's Office — is not in operation.
Detectives cordoned off the area and were performing investigatory work, including the collection of shell casings and scanning surveillance cameras, the V.I.P.D. said.
The identity of the victims were being withheld pending next of kin notification, however two of the victims were of Arab descent while another was identified as a Hispanic male, according to Mr. Dratte, who provided an updated statement Wednesday morning. Previously, he said the third victim was a black male.
The Police Department will host a press briefing to address the community on the homicides on Wednesday.
The V.I.P.D. is asking anyone with information about the homicides to send an anonymous tip to Crime Stoppers USVI here.
