By JOHN McCARTHY / V.I. Free Press News Reporter
ST. CROIX — Less than three months after walking out of Superior Court with a probation sentence for his role in a shooting incident, 27-year-old Ajani Poree is back in custody following an early-morning traffic stop that yielded multiple illegal weapons, including an un-serialized “ghost gun.”
The sequence of events highlights ongoing community frustration surrounding plea bargaining, probation supervision, and rapid re-offending in the territory.
From Attempted Murder to 90 Days of Freedom
In June 2025, the V.I. Department of Justice charged Poree with six felony counts—including Attempted First-Degree Murder, First-Degree Assault, and Unauthorized Possession of a Firearm During a Crime of Violence—after he allegedly shot at a man near the Frontline Bar and Grill in Carlton.
However, on February 26, 2026, Poree entered into a plea agreement with prosecutors. Under the terms of the deal, the government dismissed all top-tier violent felony counts, including the attempted murder charge. Poree pleaded guilty to reduced charges: Unlawful Possession of Ammunition and Second-Degree Reckless Endangerment.
At his April 23, 2026 sentencing, Presiding Superior Court Judge Yvette Ross-Edwards sentenced Poree to three years of supervised probation, credited him for time served, and ordered his GPS ankle monitor removed forthwith. He was instructed to obey all laws and report to the Office of Probation.
The July Traffic Stop
Poree’s period of smooth sailing was short-lived.
At approximately 1:53 a.m. on Saturday, July 25, 2026—roughly 90 days after his sentencing—VIPD officers stopped Poree’s silver Toyota 4Runner on Queen Mary Highway near Hermon Hill for a traffic infraction.
According to police reports, officers spotted a black semi-automatic “ghost gun” fitted with an extended 31-round magazine on the passenger floorboard. When Poree was ordered out of the driver’s seat, officers discovered a second weapon—a loaded Beretta PX4 Storm semi-automatic pistol—lying directly in the driver’s footwell where he had been sitting.
Neither Poree nor his passenger held a license to carry firearms in the Virgin Islands. Poree was re-arrested and charged with Unauthorized Possession of a Firearm and Ammunition.
The Systemic Question
Poree’s rapid return to the court system puts a spotlight on the consequences of plea agreements in violent crime cases. While the judicial system relies on plea bargains to clear heavy trial dockets, cases like Poree’s demonstrate how quickly reduced sentences can lead right back to illegal weapons on St. Croix roadways
RE-ARRESTED ON PROBATION: Ajani Poree, 27, was booked by the Virgin Islands Police Department on July 25, 2026, after officers recovered loaded, unlicensed handguns during a traffic stop on Queen Mary Highway—just three months after he received probation in a reduced attempted murder case. (Photo: Virgin Islands Police Department)