Six men were injured in three separate shooting incidents that took place over the Thanksgiving weekend, according to the V.I. Police Department.
In news releases issued Sunday, the police reported on the following incidents.
– 9:08 p.m. Saturday: The Juan F. Luis Hospital reported its emergency room was treating a man with a gunshot wound.
Officers met with the victim, a 25-year-old man, who told officers he had been walking in the area of the Paul E. Joseph Stadium towards Estate LaGrange when an unknown vehicle approached and opened fire on him.
As the victim ran away from the vehicle, he realized that he’d been shot. He was driven to the hospital in a private vehicle. He sustained a gunshot wound to his hand and was unable to provide officers with a description of the vehicle or shooters.
– At 8:19 p.m. Saturday the 911 emergency call center received a report of a shooting incident on the Melvin Evans Highway near the Carlton Road exit.
Officers and detectives responded to the area and met with four shooting victims, all males aged 19, 21, 25 and 36 years old. The victims told police they were traveling west on the highway when the tire of their vehicle went flat. As they were repairing the flat, an unknown vehicle came upon them and opened fire on the four men.
Two of the four men sustained serious injuries and were transported to JFL for treatment. The remaining two sustained minor injuries and refused medical attention.
None of the victims were able to provide officers with a description of the shooter or shooters.
– At 11:11 p.m. Thursday, the 911 emergency call center received a report of a discharge of gunfire in the Marley Housing Community in Estate Two Brothers. As officers made their way to the site, the victim of the shooting phoned the Emergency Call Center, identified himself and stated that he required assistance, but refused to render any additional information to the dispatcher concerning the circumstances of his having been shot, according to police.
The 911 call center then received a call from the hospital emergency room, reporting that a man had arrived at the facility by private vehicle, seeking medical treatment for a gunshot wound.
Officers and detectives arrived at the medical emergency room and met with the victim, who said he’d been walking on Dorsch Beach when someone he didn’t know drove by him fired a gun, striking him in the forearm. The victim said he phoned the 911 Emergency Call Center and subsequently caught a ride to the hospital.
The 23-year-old victim was unable to give a description of the vehicle or suspect.
The VIPD did not release the names of any of the victims.
Detectives are investigating all three shootings. Police urged anyone with information on any of these incidents to phone 911 or contact the anonymous tip service, CrimeStoppers USVI, at 1-800-222-8477 or online at www.crimestoppersusvi.org.
