CRUZ BAY — A St. John man implicated in a string of robberies and thefts on St. Thomas and St. John now faces attempted murder charges after a jewelry store worker was shot in the face during an armed robbery.
Jamari Gumbs, 21, was arrested Saturday and charged with first-degree attempted murder, first-degree robbery, second-degree robbery, third-degree robbery, first-degree assault, third-degree assault, possession of an unlicensed firearm during a crime of violence, aiding & abetting, possession of an unlicensed firearm within 1,000 feet of a park or public school and conspiracy, the Virgin Islands Police Department said.
The current case began at 2:00 p.m. on May 18, 2023, when officers responded to an armed robbery at the St. John Bracelet Company in Cruz Bay, according to the VIPD.
VIPD mug shot of Jamari Gumbs, 21, on St. John
“Preliminary investigation revealed that two unknown males entered the St. John Bracelet
establishment,” VIPD spokeswoman Sakeeda Freeman said. “While inside, the owner sustained a single gunshot wound to the face by one of the unknown males. Both males later exited the business with an unknown amount of jewelry from the location.”
The victim was later transported to the Schneider Hospital for medical treatment.
During this investigation, detectives learned that one of the suspects in this case was Jamari Gumbs, according to Freeman.
The Superior Court issue a warrant for Gumbs’ arrest on Friday. That warrant was executed on Gumbs at his residence without incident yesterday, police said.
Bail for Gumbs was set at $250,000. Unable to post bail, he was remanded to the custody of the Bureau of Corrections at the St. Thomas jail pending further court action.
Meanwhile, Gumbs has been arrested for a string of burglaries and thefts on St. Thomas and St. John over the years, but was never brought to trial by the Virgin Islands Department of Justice in some prominent cases.
Gumbs was one of two people arrested in connection with a Jeep stolen from Hull Bay beach in April of 2022.
Jamari Gumbs and Saviana Charles were each arrested and charged with unauthorized use of a vehicle at that time.
During an advice-of-rights hearing, Superior Court judge Paula Norkaitis said that investigators did not present enough evidence, ruling that probable cause did not exist for the arrests.
The stalled case began on April 8, 2022, when police responded to a report of a stolen Jeep. The complainants said they left the keys and other personal belongings in a bag on the beach while they went swimming for a few minutes, and when they returned the items were strewn around and the Jeep was gone, according to a probable cause fact sheet filed by police.
Investigators obtained surveillance video showing a Kia Forte enter and exit the beach area at around the time the Jeep was stolen. They found the car later that day in the area of Charlotte Amalie with Gumbs and another man inside. Charles, who had rented the vehicle, approached the scene and consented to a search, according to the fact sheet.
“During the search, the keys for the stolen Jeep Compass was discovered inside of the Kia Forte,” according to the fact sheet.
Charles said she had been driving with Gumbs earlier that morning, and dropped Gumbs off at Hull Bay Beach and picked him up a short time later, according to the fact sheet. Gumbs declined to make a statement.
Police determined that Gumbs had taken the Jeep from the beach, and Charles aided in the crime.
In court, defense attorney Clive Rivers said police have no evidence Charles committed a crime, but Assistant Virgin Islands Attorney General Brenda Scales said the presence of the stolen keys in her vehicle is “sufficient for probable cause, this matter is still under investigation.”
“Let it stay under investigation,” Rivers said, until “they are able to come before this court and establish probable cause.”
Territorial Public Defender Thoron Corey Hodge said the video did not show Gumbs take the Jeep, and “there’s no one that can put Mr. Gumbs inside of the vehicle.”
Magistrate Judge Norkaitis said that “the elephant in the room” is the other man found in the vehicle with Gumbs, who was not charged.
Judge Norkaitis dismissed the charges against Gumbs and Charles without prejudice, meaning that prosecutors may refile the charges if they obtain additional evidence to establish probable cause.
Gumbs was also arrested on September 19, 2020 for allegedly being “involved in a burglary on St. John.”
“Investigators found that Gumbs was in possession of stolen property linked to the burglary and several other cases that took place in St. John in the month of April,” the release stated.
This case is currently under active investigation by the Criminal Investigation Bureau.
Anyone with any information regarding this crime is urged to contact 911, Criminal Investigation Bureau
Detective J. Carty 340-693-8880 ext. 5207 or Detective S. Rhymer at 340-774-2211 ext.
5572 or Crime Stoppers USVI at 1-800-222-8477.