ST. THOMAS — Forty people have died so far by homicide in the territory this year, four of which were vehicular. The latest incident, which occurred in the wee hours of Saturday morning, left an innocent bystander — a female St. Thomian who was only 20 years old — dead during a shooting that she had no involvement in.
The information was confirmed by V.I.P.D. Public Information Officer Glenn Dratte this afternoon.
According to Krush Bar & Nightclub owner Darryl Lewis, Jr., just after 3:00 a.m. today, a vehicle stopped at the entrance of Nisky Center, and an assailant fired seven shots in the direction of a nearby pharmacy. The victim had just left the nightclub with two other female friends. There were others leaving the club as well, including males, according to Mr. Lewis.
The victim, identified as Bria Evans, was shot once in the upper chest by gunfire intended for someone else, according to police. She was rushed to the Schneider Regional Medical Center and died during surgery at approximately 5:53 a.m.
The incident did not occur in the club, nor did it happen on the facility’s premises, according to Mr. Lewis, who said that he was one of the individuals to witness the shooting, and immediately shut down the nightclub event. Mr. Lewis said he is cooperating fully with the V.I.P.D.’s investigation.
“I think somebody happened to see somebody they didn’t like there and started firing shots,” Mr. Lewis said. “They see their target any place and take action.” Mr. Lewis said because the shooting did not occur on his premises, his state-of-the-art cameras did not capture the incident.
The V.I.P.D. will host a press conference at 2:00 p.m. today to address the matter. A similar press conference will be held on St. Croix on Monday, according to Mr. Dratte, to address recent shooting incidents there.
Police are asking anyone with information to contact the Investigation Bureau at 340-774-2211 ext. 5579 and 5557. Residents can also contact 911, Crime Stoppers V.I., the chief’s office at 340-715-5548 or the commissioner’s office at 340-715-5506.
Share On Facebook
Tweet It
