Two men were killed and a third injured in an early morning shooting Saturday, the first two homicides in the territory of the new year.
According to the V.I. Police Department, officers responded to the reported incident at 4:44 a.m. at the Eclipse Nightclub, located in Vitraco Park Mall.
Witnesses told the officers that the two shooting victims were involved in an altercation with other unknown individuals at the club. According to the preliminary report, during the altercation two gun shots were fired and the first victim fell to the ground.
The victim was then transported by ambulance to the Schneider Regional Medical Center, where he succumbed to his injuries during surgery.
The second victim allegedly started firing random shots towards the night club shortly after. The security officer on duty returned fire and struck the victim, who succumbed to his injuries on the scene.
Contact was also made with a male victim at the hospital. According to the police report, the man had been standing near the front of the nightclub when he heard the shots fired. He realized he had been shot and was transported to Schneider by a private vehicle.
As of Saturday evening police had not released the identity of the two deceased victims pending notification of next of kin.
Police urged anyone with information about the incident to call detectives at Major Crimes at 340-714-9823 ext. 5617, the Criminal Investigation Bureau at 340-714-9807, the Chief’s Office at 340-774-2211, or contact the anonymous tip service, CrimeStoppers USVI, at 1-800-222-8477.
