The V.I. Police Department on Monday identified the victim in a Friday night shooting that took place on the St. Croix campus of the University of the Virgin Islands.
Troy Joseph, 22, was shot and killed Friday night behind the Student Center at the University of the Virgin Islands’ St. Croix campus, the police said.
Joseph’s place of residence was not available Monday, nor were any additional details of the crime, according to VIPD Public Information Officer Melody Rames.
As reported over the weekend by the police and the university, the shooting occurred between 11:20 to 11:30 p.m. Friday while an end-of-the-semester tramp and party was occurring elsewhere on campus.
Joseph was not a UVI student, according to the university’s news release, and Rames could not say if police knew why he was on campus or any other details.
Officers were informed at about 11:40 p.m. that a shooting victim was being treated at Gov. Juan F. Luis Hospital and Medical Center. Police were unable to interview the victim due to his injuries.
The preliminary investigation found that the victim was in the parking lot of the university behind the Student Center when he began to yell that he was being robbed. Witnesses heard at least one shot, and said at least one person was seen approaching the victim near his car. That person fled the area after the shot was fired.
The area was too dark to identify the person, witnesses said. The victim was taken to the hospital in a private vehicle.
It was the third homicide on St. Croix since the beginning of the year, and the seventh in the territory.
Detectives from the Major Crime Bureau are investigating the case. Anyone with information about the murder can call detectives at (340) 712-6077 or (340) 712-6037. Information can also be called to 911, the UVI Security Department at (34) 692-4155, or Crime Stoppers USVI at 1-800-222-TIPS.