May 27, 2009 — Police on St. Thomas are investigating a third-degree assault that put one 15-year-old in the hospital with a gunshot wound to the leg.
Police were called to Schneider Regional Medical Center around 3:30 p.m. Tuesday and spoke with the victim and his aunt. The victim told police that he was taking a shortcut home near Building 1 at Tutu High-Rise housing community, when he heard several shots being fired. He later realized that he had been hit, and told his aunt, who took him to the hospital, according to a Police Department press release.
The victim said he did not know who shot him or why anyone would shoot at him, the release said. Police officials have long described Tutu High-Rise as a hotspot for criminal activity and have recounted incidents where officers have been shot at while trying to apprehend suspects in the area.
Hospital spokesman Sam Topp said the victim was released Tuesday after being treated for a gunshot would to the calf. The wound was clean, with the bullet going "through and through," he said.
Anyone with information on the shooting can call VIPD's Criminal Investigation Bureau at 715-5522 or Crime Stoppers USVI at 1-800-222-TIPS.
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