Responding to a call of shots fired around 2 a.m. Monday, V.I. Police arrived near Emancipation Garden on St. Thomas to find one person dead in a car and two others in the hospital — one of whom died a few hours later.
The first victim was found lying over the passenger seat of a dark-colored SUV. Emergency medical technicians checking for vitals concluded there were no signs of life, according to the V.I. Police Department. His identity has not yet been released pending notification of family.
Officers learned of the additional two victims later, after they had arrived at the Schneider Regional Medical Center emergency room with gunshot wounds, the VIPD said. One, identified by police as 21-year-old Taheem Monsanto, later succumbed to his injuries.
St. Thomas Police Chief Steven Phillip said gun violence has been on the rise on St. Thomas, and while police are working as quickly as they can to investigate, what’s needed most is help from the community in providing information.
Monday’s shootings bring the territory’s toll from gun violence to seven fatalities so far in 2023, with one death on St. Croix and now six on St. Thomas, according to the Source Homicide List.*
“We have to be our brothers’ and sisters’ keepers,” said Phillip. “If there’s information you have on this or any other incident, please notify authorities immediately. This violence cannot continue in our community.”
Residents can call VIPD at 340-774-2211, the Major Crimes Unit at 340-642-8449, Crime Stoppers VI at 800-222-8477 (TIPS), or Emergency 911.
*The Source Homicide List is a chronological log of the homicides recorded in 2023 in the U.S. Virgin Islands, as reported by the VIPD. Cases are broken down by island. While this listing is based on VIPD reports, the Source does not include suicides or vehicular homicides in its listing, which the police and some other media do. This can lead to a discrepancy in the number of incidents reported.
