A relatively quiet period – five months without a homicide on St. Croix – ended in gunfire Tuesday night when 19-year-old McDonald Samuel was killed in Lorraine Village, the V.I. Police Department reported.
According to St. Croix District Police Chief Winsbut McFarlande, the island had not experienced a homicide since late August, a stretch he attributed to hard work by police officers and the community. The chief also noted that Samuel was "not a stranger" to the justice system, having been released in November into the custody of his mother while awaiting trial on a string of crimes.
Under the terms of Samuel’s release, he was not supposed to leave his home in the Strawberry section of Christiansted and was under a curfew from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m.
"He was in the wrong place at the wrong time," McFarlande said.
Samuel’s death was the sixth homicide in the territory since the beginning of the year.
At about 7:11 p.m. Tuesday, the 911 call center received a report of shots fired at Lorraine Village in Estate Grove Place, between buildings 16 and 17. Officers arriving at the scene found Samuel and determined that he had no pulse.
Another young man, 19-year-old Tahiem Samuel of Mutual Homes, was shot in his right arm and right chest area. McFarlande described his wounds as "non-life-threatening."
Both victims were transported to JFL Hospital by ambulance.
McDonald Samuel was pronounced dead at 10:15 p.m. by the doctor on duty in the Emergency Room, the police said.
Court records show that Samuel was released on Nov. 10 and show the terms of the release, including the curfew. According to the documents, he was awaiting trial on charges of first-degree assault, first-degree robbery, carrying or using a dangerous weapon in the commission of a crime of violence, possession of stolen property, grand larceny, third-degree assault and other firearms charges.
The VIPD asked anyone with information on this or any other crime to call the Criminal Investigation Bureau on St. Croix at 340 778 2211, the VIPD Homicide Task Force on St. Thomas at 340-774-2211, the 911 emergency call center, or the anonymous tip service, Crime Stoppers USVI, at 1-800-222-8477.
