A recovery worker from North Carolina who was on island to help rebuild after 2017’s double hurricanes died Wednesday when he was shot during a robbery at a bar on the east end of St. Croix, according to the V.I. Police Department.
The police identified the victim as 33-year-old Derrick Cribb of North Carolina, an employee of APTIM, an international company specializing in engineering, program management, environmental services, disaster recovery, complex facility maintenance and construction services.
According to the police report, the 911 call center received a notice of an armed robbery and dispatched officers to the scene in Estate Solitude. Arriving at Castaway’s bar and restaurant, officers found a white male victim, later identified as Cribb, who had sustained gunshot wounds to the body.
Witnesses told police that three masked men armed with handguns entered Castaway’s bar and restaurant from different directions and ordered everyone inside the establishment to get on the ground. One of the masked men approached the cash register behind the bar and removed an undetermined amount of cash from inside the register.
According to witnesses, Cribb was still standing inside the restaurant despite the gunmen’s orders to get on the ground. Two of the suspects fired several shots each at him, striking him multiple times about the body.
The suspects then fled the area in blue Jeep Wrangler.
CPR was administered to Cribb until the ambulance arrived on the scene. EMT’s later transported the victim to the Juan F. Luis Hospital and Medical Center, where he succumbed to his injuries.
Police Commissioner Delroy Richards, Sr., said he was horrified at the crime and said the VIPD will be relentless in its efforts to apprehend and prosecute the suspects. He expressed condolences to Cribb’s family.
Crime Stoppers USVI has received an anonymous reward of $5,000 for information leading to apprehension of the individual or individuals involved in the incident. Tips can be phoned anonymously to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (or 1-800-222-TIPS) or online at either www.crimestoppersvi.org or www.P3tips.com.
Those with information also can call either the Criminal Investigations Bureau at 340- 778-2211 or the 911 call center.
Heartfelt condolences to his family. Tears for St. Croix… now the homicide capitol of the U.S.V.I.
When you have more weapons in your country than people (USA) and you can’t stay out of war (USA), this is your future. We have all been complacent as our planet has been taken over by war and weapons, and we have been paying the price, and we will be paying a much greater price until we rise in consciousness and quit all this nonsense. It is our children that will suffer the most, but it appears no one cares.
Guns are not the problem. It is the people the trigger. Why don’t we speak about how people don’t have a conscience any more; or morals; or plain RESPECT!
Guns of any kind are illegal in the US Virgin Islands. You can not buy guns or ammunition anywhere in the islands. So, not sure making them illegal will help.
Why was nothing about this reported on Viconsortium.com or did I miss it
This truly makes me sad and this tarnishes the reputation of our beloved Virgin Islands but the real problem is the lack of compassion for humanity and the fact that these thugs don’t view another human being as a valued member of society or even someone that matters to his family, friends and loved ones. We are indeed in a desperate situation but we are dealing with an epidemic and until we call it what it is, our islands will forever be plagued and we will forever be reminded of the Fountain Valley five !!! God is in the midst and may he show these criminals some compassion and love and may they learn that things are not what they desire, it really is LOVE!!! God BLESS STX
This cold-blooded murder will and should lead to a number of questions and consequences…
Were the three robbers/murderers born and raised on St. Croix?
If so what does that speak of their mothers, fathers and siblings?
Where did they get the guns?
Who owns the blue Jeep Wrangler?
What will become of the wife and children of the relief worker?
What will the towns and communities of North Carolina think of St. Croix now?
How will this impact tourism?
Just a few of the many questions,
What of the consequences,
Will the relief workers begin to leave the island because they fear for their lives, their mothers and fathers will put pressure on them because they don’t want to lose a son.
Will the company that hire relief workers have to pay a higher wage and/or bonuses to retain the existing relief workers and/or recruit new workers.
Will every relief worker be carrying a concealed weapon?
Will the beachside bar, the castaways ever recover?
Until we see something in the news, this community has three cold-blooded murderers in its midst and most likely planning the next murder…
Obviously you must be new to V.I. this is nothing new and will not change.