By: Virgin Islands Free Press News Desk
KINGSHILL — Prosecutors have filed formal criminal charges against 27-year-old Ajani Poree, including first-degree attempted murder and multiple weapons offenses, following a series of events outlined in recently unsealed court records.
According to an Information filed June 10, 2025, by the Department of Justice, Poree is charged with six counts arising from an incident on or about April 19, 2025, near the Frontline Bar and Grill. The charges include:
- Attempted Murder in the First Degree (14 V.I.C. § 922(a)(1) & § 331(1))
- Assault in the First Degree (14 V.I.C. § 295(1))
- Assault in the Third Degree (14 V.I.C. § 297(a)(2))
- Unauthorized Possession of a Firearm During a Crime of Violence (14 V.I.C. § 2253(a))
- Possession of Ammunition (14 V.I.C. § 2256(a))
- Reckless Endangerment in the First Degree (14 V.I.C. § 625(a))
The charging document alleges Poree shot at Deryck Peter with a firearm on a public roadway.
A separate Probable Cause Fact Sheet filed June 30, 2025, details the circumstances surrounding Poree’s apprehension.
On Sunday, June 29, 2025, at approximately 3:41 a.m., members of the Criminal Investigation Bureau and Special Operations Bureau executed a search warrant at #74 Mon Bijou in Frederiksted. Poree was not present at the residence during the initial search.
In the presence of the head of household, officers searched Poree’s bedroom and recovered a 16-round capacity 9mm magazine with live ammunition, an empty 10-round .40-caliber magazine, an empty rifle magazine, five live .38-caliber rounds, a bulletproof vest, an empty 14-round .40-caliber magazine, and two containers containing marijuana.
Following the search, officers leaving the area spotted Poree driving a 2001 silver Toyota 4Runner. Upon observing police vehicles attempting a traffic stop, Poree turned into an unnamed road and parked behind an abandoned house.
When officers approached, Poree sped toward a pasture north of the Hope Seventh-day Adventist Church. Blocked by a disabled vehicle on the path, Poree abandoned his car and fled on foot toward the church yard, where he was surrounded and apprehended by police.
A check with the Virgin Islands Police Department Firearms Bureau confirmed Poree does not possess a license to carry or possess firearms or ammunition in the territory.
Poree was processed at the Wilbur H. Francis Command and remanded to the John A. Bell Adult Correctional Facility pending his Advice of Rights hearing in the Superior Court of the Virgin Islands.
