The shooting death of 18-year-old Jason Carroll on Tuesday afternoon has brought strong statements from community leaders.
Gov. Charles W. Turnbull, Delegate Donna Christian-Christensen, St. Thomas-St. John Chamber of Commerce president John deJongh Jr. and Attorney General Iver Stridiron promptly responded with condolences to the family of Carroll, who was fatally shot on Main Street in downtown Charlotte Amalie.
Carroll's parents are first Assistant U.S. Attorney James Carroll and his wife, Celia.
On Wednesday, Turnbull issued a statement saying "It is heartbreaking enough to suffer the loss of a loved one, but when the circumstances are such as these, when a fine young man facing a bright future is suddenly taken away in such a violent manner, it sends shock waves through the entire community."
The governor pledged that "this deplorable and senseless act of violence will not go unpunished," and he reminded the public that those providing information to police in connection with the investigation of a crime are assured confidentiality.
Christian-Christensen, who is a member of the House Juvenile Justice/Crime Prevention Task Force in Congress, expressed grave concern over the killing and other violent acts of recent weeks. She noted that just last month, she began working with the University of the Virgin Islands and Central State University in Ohio to bring a community-based anti-violence program to the territory.
"At this point, second to our economic woes," she said, violent crime "is the most important issue facing us — and threatens every other step forward we might be able to make."
The St. Thomas-St. John Chamber of Commerce called for unified community action to fight the continuing escalation of violent crimes in the territory, describing the matter as a community issue, not a tourism issue.
"We need to support and enhance law enforcement's effort to combat this epidemic of violence," deJongh said. "There is no need for more legislation or laws. Our territorial and federal laws are more than sufficient in punishing crime. In fact, unlike the states, which rely on federal laws in many instances to deal with violent crimes, our territorial laws are generally more severe than federal laws in dealing with criminals."
Stridiron, in his message of condolences, said the victim's father, "Jim Carroll, is not only a colleague in law enforcement, but a personal friend." He said the entire V.I. Justice Department "shares the grief of our friend and his family."
"It appears that we have young persons in this community who have little regard for themselves and no regard for the lives of others," Stridiron said. "This, unfortunately, is a situation which is not unlike a war."
