Gov. Albert Bryan Jr. said Sunday that VIPD Officer Eustace Charles was ambushed by several gunmen as he left his St. Croix home to report for duty early Sunday morning, revealing that investigators have since tracked vehicles believed to have been used by those involved, taken several people into custody as persons of interest, recovered multiple firearms and executed search warrants.
The new details, disclosed by Bryan during a Government House press briefing hours after Charles was killed, offer the first account of what authorities believe happened before the 51-year-old Executive Security Unit officer was found shot inside a vehicle in Williams Delight.
Bryan said Charles was leaving his home at about 5 to 5:30 a.m. to report for work protecting Lt. Gov. Tregenza Roach when his vehicle was blocked.
“He was ambushed by several individuals who opened fire on him,” Bryan said.
According to the governor, Charles’ family heard the gunfire and responded, finding him still breathing before he died.
VIPD’s initial account, released earlier Sunday, said the 911 Emergency Call Center received a report of shots fired in Williams Delight at approximately 5:50 a.m. Responding officers found Charles unresponsive inside a vehicle with multiple gunshot wounds, and emergency medical technicians confirmed he had no vital signs. The department identified him as a VIPD officer assigned to the Executive Security Unit.
Bryan said Sunday that investigators were able to use the territory’s camera system to identify vehicles believed to have been used by those involved and track them across St. Croix.
“At this point, several arrests have been made — we call them persons of interest,” Bryan said.
Because Bryan did not identify the individuals or specify whether criminal charges have been filed, their precise legal status was not immediately clear Sunday. The governor also said several firearms had been confiscated and search warrants executed, but did not say whether any of the weapons had been connected to Charles’ killing.
Bryan said multiple federal agencies are now assisting in the investigation, naming the FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration and Homeland Security, along with the U.S. Attorney’s Office and V.I. Attorney General’s Office. VIPD’s earlier statement independently confirmed that the department and FBI are jointly investigating the shooting.
The governor said he would not disclose further details about the killing because the investigation remains active, but called for those responsible to face the strongest possible consequences.
“We want the full extent of the law,” Bryan said. “Nothing less than the death penalty is acceptable in this case.”
Bryan’s statement reflected his position on how those responsible should be punished. No charges had been announced in the information released Sunday, and the governor did not discuss what charges prosecutors may ultimately pursue.
Much of Sunday’s briefing was also devoted to Charles himself and to the loss being felt throughout Government House and the territory’s law enforcement community.
Charles was assigned to Roach’s security detail, a role Government House had confirmed earlier Sunday. Bryan described him as part of the Government House family and a dependable colleague who carried out his responsibilities with professionalism and a deep commitment to protecting others.
“He was a member of our family. He was a member of Government House,” Bryan said.
Charles, the governor recalled, was a man of few words, but one who was quick to help when someone needed him.
“Whenever he saw someone in need of assistance, he rushed to help, and if you ever asked him for assistance, [you were] always met by a great smile,” Bryan said.
Bryan said he had been in close contact with Roach since early Sunday and described the lieutenant governor as devastated by Charles’ death. At the time of the briefing, Bryan said Roach and Sen. Novelle Francis Jr. were visiting Charles’ family.
Earlier Sunday, the Roach-Francis gubernatorial campaign postponed an 11 a.m. St. Croix motorcade following Charles’ killing. Roach described the loss as both heartbreaking and deeply personal, saying Charles had become far more than an officer assigned to protect him during his official visits to St. Croix.
Government House is also coordinating grief counseling and other assistance for employees at the offices of the governor and lieutenant governor and others who worked closely with Charles, Bryan said.
But the governor used the briefing to address more than Sunday’s killing, calling on Virgin Islanders to help law enforcement confront what he described as a troubling rash of gun violence in recent weeks.
“It seems like all of a sudden, the only resolution to any problem we have with one another is a hail of bullets,” Bryan said. “But this violence has to stop.”
Bryan stressed that the overwhelming majority of Virgin Islanders are law-abiding residents who want to raise their families, work and live peacefully, but said the actions of a small number of people have left families grieving and communities dealing with repeated trauma.
He also appealed directly to residents who know something about Charles’ killing or other violent crimes to provide information to investigators.
“Somebody out there knows every single one of these crimes that happened in our community,” Bryan said. “Somebody saw something, heard something, or received [information] that could help the investigators.”
Coming forward, he said, should not be viewed as turning against the community.
“It’s about standing up for your community and protecting the people we love,” Bryan said.
The governor also pointed to a recent executive order that he said allows qualified law enforcement officers from other executive branch agencies to be deputized and placed under the command of the VIPD commissioner, increasing the personnel available for patrols, enforcement operations and other public safety efforts.
Bryan said the government would continue considering lawful measures to strengthen law enforcement’s response, but argued that additional manpower alone would not end the violence.
“No executive order or police operation, no government initiative” can replace the eyes, ears and cooperation of residents, he said.
Police Commissioner Mario Brooks had issued his own warning earlier Sunday, when VIPD first announced Charles’ death.
“To the suspect currently at large I only have three words for you: ‘turn yourself in,’” Brooks said. “We will not rest, we will not slow down, and we will use every resource available until we catch you.”
That statement was issued before Bryan announced that several people had subsequently been taken into custody as persons of interest. Neither the governor’s briefing nor the information released by VIPD established whether those individuals include the person Brooks referenced in his earlier statement.
Bryan closed Sunday’s briefing by returning to the officer whose death prompted it.
“We will remember Officer Charles for his professionalism, his kindness, his commitment to service, his great big smile, and the pride he took in protecting all of us,” Bryan said. “My family included.”
“To Officer Charles’ family, please know that you are not grieving alone.”
VIPD is asking anyone with information about Charles’ killing to contact 911, the Criminal Investigation Bureau at 340-778-2211 or Crime Stoppers VI at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).
