Two men were killed in unrelated incidents on St. Croix this weekend, bringing to 15 the number of homicides in the territory for the first two months of the year, 9 in February alone.
At about 11:40 p.m. Saturday police were dispatched to a call of shots fired in the Marley Homes in Frederiksted. When they arrived they learned that a male victim had been taken by ambulance to the Governor Juan F. Luis Hospital and Medical Center.
The victim, identified as 43-year-old Hernan Santos Jr. of Estate Williams Delight, died while being treated at the hospital for at least one gunshot wound to the left side of his stomach.
A few hours later, at about 3:30 a.m. Sunday, police received another “shots fired” call, this one in Christiansted. According to the preliminary investigation a scuffle had broken broke out at Club 54 on Company Street. Shortly after, shots were fired in the area of Queen Cross and Company Street.
A male victim, later identified as 20-year-old Javier Rivera of Estate Profit, was apparently struck by gunfire while driving his vehicle away from the area. As a result of those injuries Rivera crashed his vehicle into a building a few blocks away on Company Street. Emergency medical technicians on the scene found no signs of life in the victim.
The Criminal Investigation and Major Crimes Bureau are investigating both homicides. Anyone with information can call the Criminal Investigation Bureau at 712- 6077, the Major Crimes Bureau at 712- 6075 or the anonymous tip service, Crime Stoppers USVI, at 1-800-222-TIPS.
Editor’s note: An earlier version of this story contained the wrong total number of homicides for the territory since the beginning of the year. The list, which has been corrected, contained one shooting death that has been determined to not be a homicide.
