CHARLOTTE AMALIE — A woman hoping to do some shopping at Home Depot in St. Thomas was shot to death in the parking lot in Estate Donoe on Saturday afternoon, authorities said.
Keoner Barron, 20, was positively identified by family members as the shooting victim, the Virgin Islands Police Department said.
“Right now, we extend our condolences to the family,” Police Commissioner Ray Martinez said Saturday evening. “This is another senseless loss of a bright, young life. We would also like to thank the witnesses who stayed at the scene and provided officers with vital information about what happened.”
Martinez said witnesses provided a description of the suspect, who they saw drive into the Home Depot parking lot and shoot victim several times, along with information about the vehicle, which they saw drive off.
Martinez said calls came into 911 dispatch around 4:10 p.m., with officers and EMS responding quickly. Barron died at Schneider Regional Medical Center roughly two hours later, around 6:15 p.m.
Police are crediting the community with helping them quickly apprehend a suspect in a Saturday afternoon slaying at Home Depot Estate Donoe.
Photos of the crime scene quickly spread on social media in the hours after the shooting, the young victim slumped over a curb in the shade of a tree with an onlooker obviously distraught standing over her.
“The team did an awesome job and we thank all the witnesses who remained on the scene,” he said, repeatedly giving credit to witnesses for helping police make the quick apprehension.
At this time, police do not have a motive in the shooting and had not yet made a formal arrest.
Still, St. Thomas Police Chief Barrington Thomas, Sr., is asking anyone with information about this homicide to call 911, the Major Crime Unit at (340) 715-5554, or Crime Stoppers USVI at (800) 222-TIPS.
There have been 31 confirmed homicides in the U.S. Virgin Islands in 2021, 23 on St. Croix, seven on St. Thomas and one on St. John.
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