FREDERIKSTED — Two St. Croix men were arrested at separate times Friday afternoon in connection to a non-fatal shooting at Marley Homes late last year, authorities said.
Charles Frazer Jr., 26, of Campo Rico, was arrested at 12:56 p.m. Friday and Ian Benjamin Jr., 19, of Queen Street, Frederiksted, was arrested at 4:51 p.m. Friday and each charged with first-degree attempted murder, the Virgin Islands Police Department said.
Frazer and Benjamin were arrested in connection with a shooting incident that occurred at Marley Homes in downtown Frederiksted on December 22, 2020, according to the VIPD.
Bail for Frazer and Benjamin was set at $100,000 each. Unable to post bail, each man was remanded to the custody of the Bureau of Corrections pending advice-of-rights hearings.
Officers assigned to the VIPD Criminal Investigation and Special Operations Bureaus made the arrests of Frazer and Benjamin based on an arrest warrant issued by the Superior Court, VIPD spokesman Toby Derima said.
Sidney Elskoe, St. Croix District Chief of Police, commended the work of detectives of the Criminal Investigation Bureau, led by Commander Lieutenant Naomi Joseph and Assistant Commander Lieutenant Marisol Colon, for the tenacity in investigating this incident.
“The detectives’ continued hard work led to these arrests,” Chief Elskoe said. He encourages the community to contact police with tips by calling 911, the Crime Tip Line at (340) 778-4950, or anonymously to Crime Stoppers USVI at (800) 222-TIPS.
All individuals listed as arrested or charged with a crime in this report are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.