Man faces attempted murder charge after machete attack

FREDERIKSTED — A man who entered a relative’s home without permission and allegedly tried to kill him with a machete has been charged with attempted murder, authorities said.

Jano Gordon, 38, was arrested and charged with first-degree attempted murder, the Virgin Islands Police Department said.

The case began at 12:50 p.m. on August 21, when 911 dispatchers got reports of an assault victim present at the Juan F. Luis Hospital requesting medical attention, according to the VIPD.

VIPD mug shot of Jano Gordon, 38, of St. Croix.

When patrol officers arrived at the hospital, they learned that the victim had been assaulted with a machete, police said.

Members of the Domestic Violence Unit responded and interviewed the victim, who
stated that he was home when Jano Gordon entered his home without permission and
attempted to kill him, according to police.

“The victim stated that Jano Gordon swung a machete at him, and in an attempt to block the machete strike he was injured,” VIPD spokeswoman Kishma Chichester said.

Members of the Criminal Investigation Bureau, School Resource Unit and Patrol Division apprehended Gordon, according to Chichester.

The suspect was taken into official custody at that time and charged with first-degree attempted murder. Bail for Gordon was set at $100,000.00.

Gordon was transported to the Wilbur H. Francis Command Police Station where he was booked and processed.

Unable to post bail, he was remanded to the custody of the Bureau of Corrections at the John A. Bell Adult Correctional Facility pending an advice-of-rights hearing.

John F. McCarthy is a veteran journalist in the Caribbean, writing from the "Decision Space" where survival meets the surreal. His reporting steel was tempered by a lineage of legendary editors and broadcasters, including Ed Wynn Brant (The Bomb), Owen Eschenroder (Ann Arbor News), Lynelle Emanuel (BVI Beacon), and Charles Thanas (WSVI-TV). Alongside longtime colleague Kenneth C. "Casey" Clark, McCarthy has navigated the front lines of the territory’s history—from the 1997 volcanic "snow" to every major hurricane since Hugo. Known for leaning out of doorless helicopters to capture the "money shot," McCarthy now edits the V.I. Free Press, providing the essential link between the island's colonial past and its SpaceX future.