Aug. 27, 2001 — The 25-year-old son of Sen. Adelbert Bryan was shot and killed on St. Croix over the weekend.
Kaunda Bryan was shot dead Sunday in what was apparently an argument during an impromptu horse race.
At about 11:40 Sunday morning, police received a call about shots fired in the vicinity of the Texaco gas station in Betty’s Hope, St. Croix Deputy Police Chief Novelle Francis said.
When officers arrived on the scene, they discovered that a gunshot victim had already been taken to the Juan F. Luis Hospital in a private vehicle.
At 11:52 a.m., a nurse at the hospital reported the arrival of Bryan, who was pronounced dead by the emergency room physician from a single gunshot wound to the chest, Francis said.
After a preliminary investigation into the murder, Francis said in a release that a group of people had congregated near the gas station for a "matched" horse race when an argument broke out between some of the individuals present. According to witnesses, one of the individuals pulled out a gun and began shooting at other people, including Bryan.
Francis said one individual was in custody Sunday afternoon for questioning and an investigation was under way. No weapon was recovered at the scene.
"Once again, this is an act of senseless killing that reflects negatively on our community," Francis said.
The murder of Kaunda Bryan isn’t the first tragedy to befall the family. In 1996, Sen. Bryan shot and killed his son Pell in what the senator and later law enforcement authorities called an act of self-defense.
Francis appealed to the many witnesses at the horse race to come forward and report what they observed. Anyone with information is asked to call the VIPD Criminal Investigation Bureau at 778-2211, ext. 4530, or Emergency 911.
