Crime

VIPD's 'Operation Eagle Eye' Nets 8 Arrests on New Year's Day for Celebratory Gunfire; Some Suspects Face up to 10 Years in Jail

The V.I. Police Department proved it was serious about arresting individuals who shot celebratory gunfire into the air on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day, arresting a total of eight suspects — four on St. Croix and four in the St. Thomas-St. John District — while detaining a total of sixteen individuals. V.I.P.D. officers along with other law enforcement personnel across the territory participated in "Operation Eagle Eye" to address the illegal discharge of gunfire on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day. During a press conference held on Jan. 1, Police Commissioner Trevor Velinor said the officers were relentless in their pursuit to arrest individuals who, even after multiple warnings from the police department, still went ahead and shot gunfire into the air — most with unlicensed firearms. From east to west on both islands, there was illegal discharge of gunfire, the commissioner said. Mr. Velinor said while officers crisscrossed the islands, they were supported by ShotSpotter techn...