John McCarthy
By JOHN McCARTHY / V.I. Free Press News Reporter
ST. CROIX — A Friday evening at a local service station shattered into a major homicide investigation after a registered firearm owner allegedly fired 15 rounds, executing an unarmed man in broad daylight.
The incident, which unfolded at the WMJR Service Station located at #36 Castle Coakley, was instantly logged by automated audio-detection technology before police arrived to find a scene of total devastation.
ShotSpotter Alerts Authorities to Homicide Scene
The violence began at approximately 7:07 p.m. on Friday, June 26, 2026, when the Virgin Islands Police Department’s ShotSpotter application detected the rapid succession of 15 gunshots emanating from the gas station parking lot. Detective Salim Ross was the first responder to arrive on the scene at 7:10 p.m. in an unmarked police vehicle with activated blue strobe lights. Upon his arrival, a female witness standing near the gas pumps frantically signaled to the officer, pointing toward a white male standing near a white van and shouting that he had just shot someone.
Detective Ross approached the suspect, later identified as Brian Schooler, with his department-issued firearm drawn. Schooler immediately raised both arms into the air with open palms and stated that his firearm was inside the vehicle. Just a few feet away, the victim, Pedro Melendez Sanes, lay face down and unresponsive on the eastern side of the gas station near a vehicle with its driver’s door wide open. Emergency Medical Services arrived shortly after but found no signs of life, officially pronouncing Sanes deceased at 7:19 P.M. amid a cluster of spent shell casings.
Brave Bystander Intervenes to Disarm the Shooter
While police officers secured the immediate area, a citizen identified by the initials W.M. approached Detective Ross to turn over the homicide weapon. The brave bystander had already successfully confronted and disarmed Schooler before law enforcement arrived on the scene. W.M. pulled a .40 caliber Glock 22 Gen 4 handgun from his right pocket and handed it over to the detective, along with an empty magazine he had recovered from his own back pocket.
The bystander pointed directly at Schooler, who was being detained on the western side of the service station, and informed the authorities that the shooter was a registered firearm owner. A subsequent database check with the Firearms Bureau of the Virgin Islands Police Department confirmed that Schooler held a valid license and ammunition permit for that exact Glock handgun as of the date of the shooting.
Eyewitness Accounts Demolish Social Media Rumors
Though early rumors circulating on social media platforms like Facebook suggested logistical mishaps or a roadside breakdown, the official eyewitness accounts captured by investigators reveal a chillingly deliberate act of violence. The gas station attendant on duty told detectives that Pedro Melendez Sanes approached the entrance of the station from the eastern side completely alone and entirely unarmed.
According to the attendant, Schooler was standing on the opposite side of the property, but as soon as he saw Sanes walking toward the building, he quickly closed the distance and shot him multiple times without ever saying a single word to the victim.
A separate commuter, who was stopped in traffic at the busy Sion Farm Intersection, witnessed the horror from their vehicle and confirmed the cold-blooded nature of the attack.
The traffic witness stated they saw Schooler fire the initial two rounds that caused Sanes to collapse to the ground.
According to the witness, while Sanes lay helpless on the asphalt, Schooler stood directly over his body and continued to pump bullets into him.
VIPD Crime Scene Technicians later processed the location and recovered exactly 15 spent shell casings, perfectly matching the initial audio log captured by the ShotSpotter system.
High Bail Set as Complex Felony Charges Filed
Following his arrest at the scene, Schooler was transported to the Police Operations Building for formal interrogation. After being advised of his constitutional rights, he declined to provide any statement for the record regarding the shooting.
Assistant Attorney General Chad Mitchell has since levied a heavy, complex felony sheet against the defendant, including First-Degree Murder, First-Degree Assault, Second-Degree Assault, Third-Degree Assault, Discharging or Aiming Firearms, Simple Assault and Battery, and First-Degree Reckless Endangerment.
Bail for the defendant was set at a staggering $1,000,000.00 per the court chart. Schooler was unable to post the required funds and was subsequently remanded to the John Bell Adult Correctional Facility in Golden Grove.
Following his formal Advice of Rights hearing on Monday morning, June 29, 2026, before the Honorable Judge Yolan C. Brow Ross, a secondary hearing has been officially scheduled for Wednesday, July 1, 2026, at 8:00 A.M. in Superior Court Room CR-103.
