Editor’s Note: This story was updated at 2:30 p.m. Wednesday with the name of the victim.
A man was shot dead on St. Thomas early Wednesday, the V.I. Police Department reported, marking the territory’s second homicide in less than 24 hours.
According to police, officers were dispatched to the area of Haabets Gade in the vicinity of Simmonds Alley in downtown Charlotte Amalie at approximately 12:38 a.m. Wednesday regarding a shooting victim.
The man was transported to Schneider Regional Medical Center via ambulance with multiple gunshot wounds but died of his injuries just after 4 a.m., police reported.
Next of kin identified the victim as Aubrey L. Frett, 66. His death marks the fourth homicide of the year on St. Thomas, and the 11th for the territory, according to the Source Homicide List.*
“The Virgin Islands Police Department is actively seeking assistance from the community. We encourage anyone with information about this incident to contact 911 or the Virgin Islands Police Department at 340-774-2211. Anonymous tips can also be submitted by calling 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or visiting www.crimestoppers.org. Please be assured that all information provided will remain confidential,” the release stated.
“We appreciate the community’s cooperation in maintaining the safety and security of our islands.”
Wednesday’s shooting comes less than 24 hours after Kaleem Iles, 47, was gunned down Tuesday morning in the Mon Bijou area of St. Croix. In that case, police responding to several 911 calls and a ShotSpotter notification indicating numerous rounds fired around 8:17 a.m. Tuesday found Iles suffering from several gunshot wounds. He was transported by ambulance to the hospital, where he died of his injuries, according to the report.
The incident remains under investigation by the Criminal Investigation Bureau and came 10 days after a man was gunned down in the Christiansted market area of St. Croix. Next of kind identified the victim as Daniel Simpkins, 30, originally from Virginia.
*The Source Homicide List is a chronological log of the homicides recorded in 2026 in the U.S. Virgin Islands, as reported by the VIPD. Cases are broken down by island. While this listing is based on VIPD reports, the Source does not include suicides or vehicular homicides in its listing, which the police and some other media do. This can lead to a discrepancy in the number of incidents reported.
