By JOHN McCARTHY / V.I. Free Press News Reporter
CHARLOTTE AMALIE — A terrifying holiday neighborhood dispute on St. Thomas shattered the late-night peace of Independence Day, sending a local resident fleeing for his life into his home as his own uncle allegedly unleashed a barrage of gunfire behind him.
The dramatic confrontation, which was entirely captured on cellular surveillance footage, ended with the swift arrest of a local man now facing a mountain of felony charges, including attempted murder, after the holiday altercation spilled out into a densely populated residential community.
The violent episode unfolded on Saturday, July 4, 2026, at approximately 10:24 p.m., when the territory’s ShotSpotter automated gunfire detection system flagged multiple rounds being discharged near 3600 Contant Street. Almost simultaneously, a frantic 911 call was placed to emergency dispatchers by local resident, who reported that his uncle, Kerwin Williams, was actively shooting at him outside a residential complex.
A Midnight Alarm and Pre-Existing Tensions
When responding Virgin Islands Police Department officers arrived at the Contant neighborhood, they made contact with a visibly shaken nephew. The victim explained to investigators that he had been fast asleep inside his residence when his ten-year-old son suddenly woke him up with urgent news that his vehicle’s car alarm was blaring outside.
Knowing that the lock on his vehicle was broken, and acutely aware of a toxic history of prior incidents where his uncle had allegedly attempted and threatened to cause him physical harm, Angol took no chances. He retrieved his licensed personal firearm for self-defense before stepping out into the darkness to investigate the disturbance. Once outside, the nephew discovered the trunk of his vehicle wide open, which had triggered the security system. He quickly closed the trunk, deactivated the alarm, and turned to walk back inside his home.
Caught on Camera: Gunfire Near a Local School
According to the probable cause fact sheet filed in the Superior Court of the Virgin Islands, the situation took a near-fatal turn as the victim was walking toward his door. His uncle, Kerwin Williams, suddenly emerged from a nearby apartment belonging to his girlfriend. Without warning, Williams raised a firearm, discharged a single round directly into the night sky, and then leveled the weapon toward his nephew, firing two more rounds directly in his direction. Fearing he would be struck by the gunfire, the nephew retreated into his home and dialed 911. He later informed police that this was part of an ongoing, relentless pattern of behavior, noting that Williams had been arrested just months prior, in April 2026, for a nearly identical violent offense.
While police officers were on the scene taking the victim’s statement, Williams boldly stepped out of the apartment and immediately began shouting accusations, claiming that his nephew was the one fabricating stories and that the victim had actually fired the shots. Officers quickly shut down the verbal tirade, detaining Williams on the spot and securing him inside a police cruiser while the active investigation continued.
The victim provided investigators with ironclad digital proof, handing over security surveillance footage from his mobile phone. The video clearly and undeniably showed Williams wearing a multicolored crochet-knit vest and blue denim shorts as he fired the warning shot into the air and then aimed and fired two distinct rounds straight at his nephew.
Furthermore, police technicians recovered three spent shell casings from the pavement directly in front of the apartment Williams had been utilizing. A secondary digital forensic investigation leveraging Google Maps measurements revealed a chilling detail for local parents: the exact spot where Williams chose to open fire was a mere 205 feet from the Wesleyan Church and the Wesleyan Academy School campus, placing an entire neighborhood and educational zone in extreme jeopardy.
Massive Bail and an Impending Date with a Magistrate
Following his transport to the Richard N. Callwood Command, Williams was read his constitutional rights and questioned by detectives regarding his authority to carry a weapon in the territory. He explicitly admitted to authorities that he did not possess a license to carry or carry a firearm anywhere in the Virgin Islands.
Given the physical evidence, the recovered shell casings, and the undeniable surveillance footage, the VIPD slapped Williams with an exhaustive sheet of criminal charges. He stands accused of Illegal Discharge of a Firearm, Unauthorized Possession of a Firearm, Possession of a Firearm Within 1,000 Feet of a School, Reckless Endangerment, Assault in the First Degree, Assault in the Third Degree, Brandishing a Deadly Weapon, Attempted Murder, and Disturbance of the Peace.
