John McCarthy
By: Virgin Islands Free Press News Desk
CASTLE COAKLEY — An early Sunday morning shooting near a popular Castle Coakley bar and restaurant has left two young men dead, bringing the territory’s homicide total to 30 for the year.
According to the Virgin Islands Police Department, the St. Croix 911 Emergency Call Center received multiple reports of gunshot victims at approximately 4:13 a.m. in the vicinity of La Terraza Bar and Restaurant.
Victims Identified as Brothers
Responding VIPD patrol officers and Emergency Medical Services (EMS) personnel arrived at the scene to find one male victim lying on the ground unresponsive, having suffered an apparent gunshot wound to his upper body. EMS confirmed he had no vital signs, and he was pronounced deceased at the scene.
A second gunshot victim was rushed to the Governor Juan F. Luis Hospital via private vehicle, where medical staff subsequently pronounced him dead.
Police confirmed that next of kin have identified the deceased as brothers:
- Yordani Eduardo, 30
- Delli Eduardo, 25
Territory Homicide Toll Clashes with Late-Night PR Pushes
The Sunday morning tragedy marks St. Croix’s 16th and 17th homicides of 2026, pushing the U.S. Virgin Islands’ territory-wide murder toll to 30.
The sudden outbreak of deadly violence comes on the heels of a massive, late-night media dump from the VIPD Public Information Office over the weekend, where police released sanitized recaps and mugshots for minor property damage and assault cases that had occurred days prior.
While the VIPD PR machinery spends its late nights polishing week-old press statements—at a pace that makes Elon Musk’s Twitter rebrand look like a deliberate, well-considered transition—real-time violent crime continues to rock local commercial strips before dawn.
Active Investigation
Detectives with the Criminal Investigation Bureau (CIB) have taken the lead on the double murder case. No details regarding potential suspects, motives, or the type of firearm used have been released by police.
The VIPD is urging anyone who was in the Castle Coakley area near La Terraza around 4:00 a.m., or who may have surveillance footage or relevant information, to contact the CIB, dial 911, or submit an anonymous tip to Crime Stoppers USVI at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477). Crime Stoppers offers cash rewards for information leading to an arrest in active cases.
Site History
The location of Sunday’s fatal shooting, currently operating as La Terraza Bar and Restaurant, is familiar to long-time St. Croix residents as the former site of El Sol Bar & Restaurant. The Castle Coakley roadside establishment has long served as a gathering spot along the busy commercial strip.
