Police on St. Thomas are investigating a shooting in which it appears a man was shot by a pellet or BB gun, the V.I. Police Department reported.
According to the police, officers were told at about 3:30 p.m. Thursday that a man was being treated for a gunshot at the Schneider Regional Medical Center.
Arriving at the emergency room, the officers contacted the victim, whose name was not released.
The victim told officers that between the hours of 8 and 9 p.m. Wednesday he was walking up the Tutu Valley Hill in the vicinity of the Head Start School. He said he stopped momentarily to speak with an acquaintance. As they talked, the victim heard what sounded like a single, "little" gunshot and felt a burning sensation in the left side of his upper back.
The victim said he continued walking and made his way home still in pain.
Thursday morning he couldn’t bear the pain any longer, he said, so he went to the hospital for observation and treatment. Doctors determined he had sustained a wound from the pellet of a BB gun. He was treated and released.
The victim told officers he was unaware of who may have shot at him or from what direction it may have come.
Detectives with the Criminal Investigation Bureau continue to investigate the incident.