CHARLOTTE AMALIE — Two people are dead and two injured after a “senseless and disturbing” shooting at Four Winds Plaza on St. Thomas Wednesday night.
Lamar Richardson, 29, and Randy John Baptiste, 33, have been positively identified as the homicide victims, the Virgin Islands Police Department said today.
Two others were found with gunshots at the scene and taken to Schneider Regional Medical Center for treatment, according to the VIPD.
The case began at 9:33 p.m., when concerned citizens contacted the 911 Emergency Call Center to report several shots fired near Four Winds Plaza in St. Thomas.
Citizens then reported that there were at least two individuals shot at that the location, police said.
Units from the VIPD and other law enforcement agencies responded to Four Winds Plaza, where they “discovered two unresponsive, black males lying in the plaza,” according to police.
“The males appeared to have suffered multiple gunshots about the body,” VIPD spokeswoman Sakeeda Freeman said.
Emergency Medical Technicians responded to the scene where they checked the males for signs of life, according to Freeman.
“At 11:53 p.m., they concluded that neither one of the males had any vital signs,” she said.
The deceased males were identified by next of kin as Richardson and Baptiste, police said.
Open Letter to the VIPD posted to Facebook by Shanae Liburd
“Our condolences goes out to the family friends and loved ones who’s been impacted by gun
violence.” St. Thomas Police Chief Steven Phillip said. “These senseless killings continue to be a huge problem in our territory. It’s very disturbing; In these incidents nobody wins, but the family of the victims lose. The Chief strongly emphasized the efforts being made to address violence in the community. We are constantly researching effective violence reduction strategies to keep our community safe. We are asking you the community, for your continued support in this fight against crime in our community.”
Anyone having any information about this incident please contact 911 or the Virgin Islands Police Department at 340-774-2211 or the Criminal Investigation Unit’s Major Crimes Division at 340-642-8449 or Crime Stoppers USVI at 1-800 222-8477.
https://www.facebook.com/VIPoliceDept/videos/841147447555398