FREDERIKSTED — Police are investigating after a jealous lover fatally shot his ex-girlfriend at point blank range as she was sitting in a parked car in Frederiksted town early this morning.
Rosnel Diaz-Bautista, 22, of Frederiksted town, was arrested and charged with first-degree murder, the Virgin Islands Police Department said.
The incident began at 12:55 a.m. today, when the VIPD’s ShotSpotter system alerted to the sound of gunshots fired on King Street in Frederiksted town, according to the VIPD.
VIPD mug shot of Rosnel Diaz-Bautista, 22, of Frederiksted town in St. Croix.
Shortly afterwards, several concerned citizens called 911 dispatchers to report that a woman had been shot inside a black vehicle on King Street, VIPD Communications Director Glen Dratte said.
During their investigation, detectives from the VIPD’s Criminal Investigation Bureau (CIB) learned that a light-skinned male, identified as the suspect, had approached the vehicle where the victim, 24-year-old Indierra Morales, was sitting, according to Dratte.
The suspect, described as wearing a grey hoodie, long dark jeans, and sporting a low afro, reportedly kept both hands tucked inside his hoodie as he approached the victim, police said.
A second female at the scene was heard screaming at the shooter not to proceed, but the man opened fire with a handgun, shooting Morales multiple times, according to police.
The assailant then stopped shooting, tucked his hands back inside his hoodie, and fled the scene, running towards Hill Street, police said.
The suspect, Rosnel Diaz-Bautista, is believed to be Morales’s former intimate partner, according to police.
Diaz-Bautista was swiftly apprehended, detained and then transported to the Wilbur Francis Command, where he was formally arrested and charged. His bail was set at $1 million.
The victim’s body was transported by ambulance to the Juan Luis Hospital, where she was pronounced dead on arrival at 1:39 a.m. by the attending emergency room physician.
The victim, Indierra Morales, was identified by her next of kin following the fatal shooting.
This crime is under active investigation by the Criminal Investigation Bureau.