Juvenile Bureau detectives on St. Croix arrested a 17-year-old minor, charging him with shooting an adult male in the left side of his hip on Thanksgiving in Estate Richmond, Christiansted.
Police said the minor is incarcerated in the Youth Rehabilitation Center (YRC) and was on a “day pass” to visit his family for Thanksgiving when the shooting occurred.
The minor was arrested at about 6 p.m. Wednesday. He was charged with first-degree attempted murder, first-degree attempted assault, third-degree assault, first-degree reckless endangerment, possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime of violence, unauthorized possession of a firearm and discharging or aiming firearms.
Police said the teen, while on a day pass to visit his family on Thanksgiving, instigated an altercation with a man while in Estate Richmond. During the altercation the minor displayed a small handgun and shot the victim, wounding him in his hip. The minor then left the area. Police investigation subsequently identified the minor as the shooter.
The minor had been remanded to the center’s custody in January when a police investigation revealed that he broke into a vehicle parked in Christiansted and removed a licensed handgun and other items.
Police arrested the minor shortly after the robbery when they discovered the stolen firearm tucked in his waist. He was 16 at the time and later sentenced to remain in YRC until his 18th birthday.
Following the minor’s rearrest on Wednesday, he was returned to the Youth Rehabilitation Center.
