KINGSHILL — Police are investigating after a man with a gun said he defended himself against a jealous, knife-wielding man by fatally shooting him on Friday night.
Kjani Skeet, 21, was positively identified by next of kin as the gunshot victim, the Virgin Islands Police Department said..
The case began at 10:22 p.m. when patrol units were directed to Sunny Acres to investigate shots fired reports police got from ShotSpotter, according to the VIPD.
The 911 dispatcher also relayed that they received reports of a shooting victim being transported to the hospital by private vehicle, police said.
A few moments later, it was reported that a second gunshot victim ran into someone’s yard seeking assistance and he was subsequently transported to the hospital by ambulance, according to police.
Detectives traveled to the Juan F. Luis Hospital and met with an adult male who stated that while he visited a female friend in Estate Strawberry, her child’s father unexpectedly showed up to the house, VIPD spokeswoman Kishma Chichester said..
“Eventually, the female and her child’s father were engaged in an argument, which resulted in the child’s father running to the driver’s side of the victim’s vehicle, opened the door and stabbed the male multiple times with a knife,” Chichester said. “The victim stated that he then drew his licensed firearm and discharged shots to get him to stop stabbing him.”
The knife victim sustained multiple stab wounds to his hands, torso, and head was treated and released, according to Chichester.
Despite the best efforts of the Juan F. Luis Hospital ER physicians, Skeet eventually died from the injuries he sustained in the shooting, the police spokeswoman said.
Skeet’s death marks the 36th in the territory in 2023. There have been 17 homicides in St. Croix and 19 in St. Thomas.