Police are hunting a suspected burglar who was interrupted during the course of the crime and opened fire on police Thursday.
According to the V.I. Police Department, police were notified of a residential burglary in Estate Bakkeroe at about 3:15 a.m. Thursday. At a 10 a.m. press briefing, acting Police Commissioner Rodney Querrard said police are still searching for the suspect.
The departmental news release did not indicate any officer had been injured in the exchange of gunfire.
The acting commissioner said the alarm company notified police that motion sensors inside the home indicated movement. However, based on directions from the alarm company, Querrard said “the location was difficult to find.”
When officers arrived on the scene they saw an open window and called for additional police. Police said they saw at least one suspect inside the residence. Shots were fired from the home at the police officers, who returned fire.
Querrard said the suspect or suspects escaped being captured due to the terrain and the darkness. K9 officers were deployed, but the suspect remains at large.
Blood was found on the scene leading into the bush and Querrard said the suspect was probably injured during “exit, entry or other.”
He said the department will not stand by as officers are being "disrespected."
“We will do anything within the law to deter the criminal living among us from continuing to terrorize our people," Querrard said. "We will not tolerate firing at our officers who are in the act of protecting life and property."
Anyone with information on the incident is urged to call detectives at 715-5522, the commissioner’s office at 715-5506, 911, or Crime Stoppers USVI at 1-800-222-TIPS.