By: Virgin Islands Free Press News Desk
FREDERIKSTED — The Virgin Islands Police Department has launched an active Criminal Investigation Bureau inquiry into a Tuesday evening gunfire incident in downtown Frederiksted—confirming ground-level reports first published by the Virgin Islands Free Press.
According to police records, the shooting was officially detected at approximately 7:08 p.m. on Tuesday, July 21, when the territory’s ShotSpotter acoustic detection network logged multiple gunshots erupting in the area of the Vegetable Market on Queen Street. Simultaneously, 911 dispatch centers were flooded with emergency calls from startled residents.
Eyewitnesses Describe Rapid Discharge, Fleeing Vehicle
Ground-level accounts collected by the V.I. Free Press shortly after the incident capture the terrifying reality on the street as the gunfire began.
An initial burst was followed closely by a rapid, sustained volley of six to eight additional rounds that echoed by the Lagoon Street Complex and down the rest of Queen Street. The heavy discharge caused an immediate hush across downtown Frederiksted as local establishments abruptly cut off music and nearby residents scrambled to take cover away from exposed windows and doors.
Emergency 911 callers initially reported that an individual may have been hit during the barrage, describing a blue SUV speeding away from the Vegetable Market area at a high rate of speed moments after the final shots were fired.
VIPD Responds; No Victims Located at Scene or Hospital
VIPD patrol units and Emergency Medical Services (EMS) personnel converged on Queen Street shortly after the 7:08 p.m. alert. However, responding officers reported finding no gunshot victims or active medical emergencies at the location.
Authorities subsequently cross-referenced records with administrative personnel at the Governor Juan F. Luis Hospital and Medical Center, who confirmed that no walk-in gunshot victims sought emergency treatment in connection with the Frederiksted incident.
The VIPD Criminal Investigation Bureau (CIB) maintains an active investigation into the discharge and the fleeing blue SUV.
Anyone with information regarding the shooting or the vehicle involved is urged to contact 911, the CIB at (340) 778-2211, or Crime Stoppers VI at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).
