Police arrested a suspect Tuesday morning in the murder of Avery Hodge at the Oswald Harris Court housing community.
According to Police Commissioner Rodney Querrard, at about 8:30 a.m. officers arrested 40-year-old Akebo Tucum Thomas of Oswald Harris Court housing community.
On Jan. 3, officers responded to a report of shots fired at Oswald Court to the report of a shooting shortly after 9 p.m. At the scene they found Hodge lying in the archway of Building 20. Police said he appeared to have been shot several times. He was taken to the Schneider Regional Medical Center for treatment. Medical personal told police Hodge died from his injuries on Jan 4 at 9:41 p.m.
It was the first homicide on St. Thomas since the beginning of the year, the second in the territory.
The charges filed against Thomas on Tuesday included first-degree murder, second-degree murder, first degree assault, unauthorized possession of a dangerous weapon during the commission of first-degree murder, unauthorized possession of a dangerous weapon during the commission of second-degree murder, unauthorized possession of a weapon during the commission of first-degree assault, third-degree assault, unauthorized possession of a weapon during the commission of third-degree assault and reckless endangerment. The charges were based on an arrest warrant issued by Superior Court Judge Adam Christian.
Included in the execution of the search and arrest warrants were officers assigned to the Special Operations Bureau, Major Crimes, Intelligence Unit, Forensic Bureau and Patrol.
Querrard said the arrest was due to the hard work of the officers and the assistance of the public.
"I want to first commend my officers, detectives and agents involved in this investigation and arrest for a job well done," he said. "Your hard work, due diligence and persistence working with the information you obtained from members of this community resulted in the arrest of this accused murderer. This is another example of a community and a police department, along with the attorney general’s office and courts, working together to achieve one goal, an expedited arrest of a dangerous perpetrator reducing the chance of another retaliatory murder."
"I want to thank and commend those of you who came forward with information leading to this arrest. Your dedication to this community is clear," the commissioner said.
