KINGSHILL — An attempted murder suspect has been arrested and charged with shooting two people at Frontline Bar and Restaurant on St. Croix early Monday morning. One victim was seriously injured.
Deray Smithen, 35, was apprehended Tuesday at Cyril E. King Airport on St. Thomas while trying to board a flight to the mainland, Virgin Islands Police said in a statement Wednesday.
The case began at around 1:30 a.m. Monday, when police responded to the Juan F. Luis Hospital where an injured man and woman had been transported in separate private vehicles.
VIPD mug shot of Deray Smithen, 35, of St. Croix who is being held in a St. Thomas jail today.
Investigators discovered that the male victim was involved in a fight that turned physical, and Smithen “drew a firearm and immediately began firing at the victim, striking him five times.
The male victim is in serious condition and must undergo surgery,” police said. “The female victim was treated for her injuries and released.”
Police said Smithen “was positively identified by multiple individuals and on surveillance video footage as the shooter.”
Police entered a hold on Smithen in the national crime information database, which alerted U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) when he tried to board the plane on St. Thomas.
Smithen was arrested for first-degree attempted murder and related assault and firearm crimes, and jailed with bail set at $100,000, according to the probable cause fact sheet filed by the VIPD.
Smithen appeared in Superior Court on St. Thomas Wednesday, where Magistrate Judge Paula Norkaitis increased his bail to $150,000 cash, according to court records.
Anyone with information on this case is urged to call 911, the Criminal Investigation Bureau Tip Line at 340-778-4850 or the anonymous tip service, Crime Stoppers USVI at 1-800-222-8477.