Crime

USVI is 'Under Siege,' Says St. Croix Police Chief As VIPD Pleads With Community for Help

The V.I.P.D. made a passionate plea to community members Monday to provide information that could bring criminals to justice, with St. Croix Police Chief Sidney Elskoe and Police Commissioner Trevor Velinor leading the charge. "We are under siege... There is only a small portion of the community that is holding us hostage. I beg of you, I plead to please turn these people in. Saying nothing is not an option; you have to choose a side," Chief Elskoe said. Mr. Velinor commented, "What we need to do literally is change the narrative, change the culture of acceptance of these types of behavior." The fervent call for community support follows two homicides over the weekend on St. Croix, which carried the USVI total for 2020 to 45.  On Saturday night after 8:00 p.m., 19-year-old Nathaniel Felix was shot in the vicinity of his residence in Concordia West during a drive-by shooting. He was transported to the Juan F. Luis Hospital & Medical Center, where he later succumbed to his injuries. T...