Territory Sees Three Homicides In Four Days, Bringing Crime Back In Spotlight

Three deaths in the span of four days in St. Croix and St. Thomas have brought the territory’s high homicide rate back in the spotlight, with two incidents occurring in St. Thomas hours apart — Saturday night and Sunday afternoon — while the latest St. Croix homicide occurred Thursday, and which followed a deadly stabbing in Williams Delight that occurred on Oct. 14.

The Thursday homicide on St. Croix occurred in Estate Sion Farm, where a 32-year-old man was gunned down with what was believed to be a high-powered rifle. The 911 emergency call center received notification of the incident at around 8:47 p.m., according to V.I.P.D. Public Information Officer Glen Dratte. Officers responded to the scene and found an unresponsive Hispanic male who was later identified as Adrian Martinez. The case is under investigation by the Criminal Investigative Bureau.

The Saturday homicide in St. Thomas occurred after the 6:00 p.m. hour in Estate Thomas. According to Mr. Dratte, citing a police report, upon officers’ arrival to the scene, they observed a black male lying lifeless on the ground with blood flowing from his head area. Emergency medical technicians later arrived on the scene, performed medical tests and declared the victim — who police later identified as 40-year-old Dwight Green — dead.

In a followup release, the V.I.P.D. announced that a suspect named Michael Hendrickson, 27, turned himself in at 6:30 a.m. today. Mr. Hendrickson was charged with first-degree murder and was remanded to the Bureau of Corrections pending his advisement hearing, according to Mr. Dratte.

Finally, at approximately 1:41 p.m. today, the 911 emergency call center was notified of several shots that were fired in the Scottfree area in St. Thomas. The resident who called also reported that a male was seen lying on the ground. Officers hustled to the location, where they met Brison Isaac, 21, with multiple gunshot wounds about his body. Mr. Isaac was transported to the Schneider Regional Medical Center’s emergency room where he succumbed to his injuries at approximately 2:58 p.m., according to Mr. Dratte.

Information received from a resident indicated that a possible suspect may have been a male with a dark complexion and dreadlocks, who was wearing a white shirt and colored pants.

The V.I.P.D. is asking anyone with information that may lead to the arrest of suspects to call the Criminal Investigation Bureau at (340)774-2211, or contact Crime Stoppers USVI with your tip here.