A 20-year-old man was fatally shot in broad daylight Tuesday afternoon on St. Thomas, marking another tragic incident in a string of violent crimes that have gripped the territory in the past week.
According to the Virgin Islands Police Department, a 911 call came in at approximately 2:50 p.m. Thursday, reporting that a male had been shot in the Hospital Ground area near the Fish Market. Emergency Medical Technicians rushed the victim to Schneider Regional Medical Center, where he was later pronounced dead.
The victim has been identified as Franklin Thomas Archibald Jr.
Archibald is the territory’s 29th homicide and the 18th on St. Thomas, according to the Source Homicide List.*
Authorities are urging anyone with information about this shooting to contact 911, the Major Crimes Unit at 340-642-8449, or Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8476.
This latest homicide follows two others last week, where two men were killed in separate shootings on St. Croix, raising further concerns about escalating violence across the territory.
Walton “Selah” Macedon, 67, was found unresponsive on Sunday morning in St. Croix’s Golden Rock area. Despite efforts to save him, Macedon succumbed to his injuries, marking St. Croix’s 11th homicide of the year. Known for his warmth and strong community presence, Macedon’s sudden death has deeply shaken those who knew him.
A day earlier, 26-year-old Venquon N. Richardson was shot and killed at a gas station in Bovoni, St. Thomas. Found with multiple gunshot wounds, Richardson was pronounced dead at the scene, marking St. Thomas’ 17th homicide this year.
*The Source Homicide List is a chronological log of the homicides recorded in 2024 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.
