Sept. 26, 2007 — Police officials are working quickly on an investigation into the death of Officer Dwayne O. Isaac, who committed suicide early Wednesday morning in an office at the Leander Jurgen Police Station on St. John.
Gathering on St. Thomas for an early afternoon press conference, top VIPD officials described Isaac's death as "tragic," and said they had no leads as to what caused him to pull the trigger. Police have ruled out the possibility that Isaac's death was accidental, Assistant Police Commissioner Novelle Francis said late Wednesday evening.
Isaac's body was found sitting at a desk in one of the station's first-floor rooms, and he died of a single gunshot wound to the right side of his head, Francis said.
Isaac, who graduated from the police academy about 14 months ago, had begun his shift at Jurgen Command around 11 p.m. Tuesday and was scheduled to be off at 7 a.m. Wednesday, Francis said during Wednesday's press conference. The officer had almost finished his shift and headed into the back room to write a police report. Around 6:15 a.m., the two other officers inside the station heard "a bang," and subsequently discovered that Isaac had shot himself with his service weapon, a .40-caliber Glock, Francis said.
Several units and officers, including St. Thomas-St. John Chief of Police Rodney Querrard and St. John Deputy Police Chief Darren Foy, responded to the scene to conduct a routine investigation, Francis said.
Isaac was single, had no children or problems with the community, and had no complaints against him, Foy said.
"Additionally, Tuesday was a relatively light night," Querrard said, when asked whether Isaac had exhibited any level of distress while on the job. An exploration of Isaac's caseload over the past few months — which could shed some light on whether the officer was under heavy stress — is currently underway, Francis added.
"This incident just happened this morning, so we don't have all the details as yet," Francis said. "But as far as I know, he was a hardworking and dependable officer."
Rumors that Isaac's death resulted from high stress levels that built while on the job have circulated throughout the community since preliminary reports were first issued early Wednesday morning. However, Isaac's paperwork shows no indication of psychological distress, Francis said.
The VIPD currently has a contract with one psychologist, Tom Tyne, on St. Thomas, and another on St. Croix, who are open to meeting with officers upon request, Francis added. But there is currently no permanent mental-health expert on staff, officials said.
Officers in Isaac's patrol unit, along with his family members, have already been debriefed about the incident. Counseling is also being offered, Francis said.
The investigation into Isaac's death will continue, officials said.
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