Over 60 Gunshots Rattle Lorraine Village Late Thursday; Flooding Three Apartments

ST. CROIX — Police with firsthand knowledge of a shooting incident that occurred after 10:00 p.m. on Thursday at Lorraine Village, told The Consortium this morning that over 60 shots were fired at apartments in the housing community, based on shell casings recovered at the scene.

There were no injuries.

The shots — some of which went in and out the homes — caused flooding in three apartments, according to police.

Flooding occurred in the kitchen and living room areas of the apartments, police say. However, no motives have been connected to the incident, which included assault rifles and handguns, made known by spent shell casings recovered on the scene.

The shooting last night follows a weekend of violence on St. Croix, where three young men were shot dead — one during a drive-by that occurred in Clifton Hill, and another shooting that left two 18-year-olds dead during a birthday party held at the Altona Lagoon.

Police have a suspect in custody for the Lagoon shooting, however it is not known whether similar results have been attained in connection with the Clifton Hill drive-by.

The aftermath saw government officials calling for an approach that would see the upcoming generation, many of whom appear to be on a destructive path, change course.

“As a community, we are finding ourselves in the middle of a period where many of the young men in our community have absolutely no regard for life and as such proceed in an extremely reckless fashion where escalated gunplay has become the order of the day. Our fight to save our community from the paralyzing effects of the continuous vicious acts of violence. Simultaneously, [it’s] also a fight for us to save the young men of our community from themselves,” Lieutenant Governor Osbert Potter said.

Delegate to Congress Stacey Plaskett also chimed in: “I am saddened to learn that gun violence has again ended the promise of a young man in the Virgin Islands. My deepest sympathies go to the families and friends of the three young men who have lost their lives this weekend. This has become too pervasive a problem in our community. We all have to step up to fight against the scourge of gun violence in the Virgin Islands.”

According to police, no witness came forth to relay information relative to last night’s shooting. “All those shots and no one saw nothing,” one police source said. The gunshots rattled neighboring communities, as made known by concerned residents who phoned The Consortium following the occurrence.