Six years after teen's killing, family demands institutional change in St. Croix

Six years have passed since Tintawee Christian, a 16-year-old honour student, was killed in a volley of gunfire in Sion Farm on August 17, 2020. The case remains unsolved, but his family has not stopped pushing for answers.

On Friday, September 25, the date Christian would have turned 23, his aunt addressed families of murder victims at the Women's Coalition of St. Croix's 15th Annual National Day of Remembrance for Murder Victims at the Sunny Isles Amphitheater. She described a young man who excelled academically, played football, baseball and basketball, and represented the Virgin Islands in international competition. He did not smoke, use drugs or run with the wrong crowd, she said.

"He was supposed to be able to walk in his neighborhood inside Farm. He's supposed to be free and move out, right?" she told the gathering. As she reflected on the years since his death, she said, "My weeping and my moaning turning to anger."

On the night of the killing, Christian was walking near the Mill with another young man when a vehicle opened fire on them. Residents reported that more than 100 rounds were discharged in the attack. Christian was struck multiple times and died at the scene; his companion was shot in the chest but survived. Police described Christian as an innocent bystander caught in violence believed linked to a feud between Sion Farm and Castle Coakley.

Beyond grieving her nephew, his aunt used the platform to criticize what she views as a culture of silence in the community and institutional failures. She alleged that some police officers reveal the identities of people who report crimes to relatives or associates of suspects, calling it an "open secret" and saying the department "needs to be cleaned up."

She also raised concerns about the adequacy of investigative journalism into violent crime in the territory, suggesting that journalists who examine sensitive issues face pressure.

Her family said in 2022 that community members possessed information about the killing but that investigators required witnesses prepared to come forward with evidence to advance the investigation.