KINGSHILL — Eleven people were injured and four are dead after three separate shooting incidents on St. Croix between Saturday night and the early hours today.
One man was killed Saturday night after being shot at the Corner Pocket Nightclub in Estate La Reine. Five others were injured, VIPD spokesman Toby Derima said.
A total of six people were shot at the Corner Pocket, Derima said. At least one of the surviving five victims was said to be in critical condition, while the four others sustained non-life-threatening injuries.
According to the police report, there was a dispute between two men at the Corner Pocket, which was broken up after bystanders interceded. One of the men in the dispute was whisked away from the area by his friends.
After returning to the bar, the man was visibly upset and displayed a firearm. A shootout immediately ensued between the returning man and another group of men at the bar. As a result of the gunfire exchanged, six people were shot, one of whom succumbed to his injuries at 4:45 a.m. today.
Next of kin have not been notified about the dead man, precluding police from releasing his name.
The 911 Emergency Call Center received notification relative to the Corner Pocket incident at about 11:43 p.m. Saturday, according to the VIPD.
The three other murders occurred at two other locations around St. Croix: one in La Grange, where a woman was shot dead inside her home; the second at the Frederiksted Vegetable Market, where a shooting left two people dead.
La Grange Incident
A woman was shot multiple times by assailants after 9:00 p.m Saturday during what appeared to be a home invasion, police said.
The 911 Emergency Call Center received a call from a family member of the victim at about 10:08 p.m. Saturday, who said he arrived to his residence and found the victim lying in a pool of blood.
The 911 Emergency Call Center had previously received notification of shots fired in La Grange at about 9:49 p.m. Saturday. Police are still investigating to determine a motive for the incident.
The victim has been identified by next of kin as Elsi Ruiz, 66, according to police.
Frederiksted Vegetable Market shooting
As police officers were responding to the Corner Pocket shooting, another incident was occurring at the Frederiksted Vegetable Market, Derima said.
The 911 Emergency Call Center received notification of shots fired and multiple injuries at the vegetable market at 12:21 a.m. Sunday. A total of four individuals were shot during the incident.
Officers arrived to the area and discovered an unresponsive Hispanic male in the market.
A number of other victims shot at the vegetable market were taken to the Juan F. Luis Hospital in private vehicles. One of the victims, a female, was being rushed to the hospital when the private vehicle carrying her overturned and crashed near the Clifton Hill area on the Melvin Evans Highway. She along with the driver were taken to the hospital.
The victims who were killed by gunfire at the vegetable market were identified by next of kin as 49-year-old Johnny Martinez, who died on the scene, and 47-year-old David Clouden, who died at the hospital.
Two men who sustained non-life-threatening injuries were at the hospital receiving treatment this morning.
Multiple investigations are ongoing into the incidents, the police spokesman said.
The VIPD is asking anyone with information that may lead to the arrest of perpetrators to call 911 or the Crime Tip Line at (340) 778-4950.
“There are few words to express the outrage and the hurt our community feels this morning as a result of the callous and reckless actions of those who chose to reign terror on our streets this weekend,” Governor Albert Bryan said. “We are dealing with enough as a community. We do not need to add this level of senseless gun crime to the challenges confronting our community. This is not who we are or what we stand for. I pray for the victims and their loved ones and plead with those members of our community with information to come forward so that we can bring swift justice to the perpetrators of these senseless crimes.”