A gunshot detection system triggered a police response near G-Max Service Station in Golden Rock, Christiansted, early Sunday morning, leading officers to discover an unresponsive man around 7:15 a.m. on October 11. The victim's identity remains undisclosed while next of kin are notified.
Within an hour, at roughly 8:09 a.m., police were summoned to the D. Hamilton Jackson Housing Community, known locally as Red Brick, where they found another man with what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot injury. The VIPD is treating this death as a possible suicide, and the man's name has not been released.
The Golden Rock incident marks the 40th homicide across the territory this year. St. Croix now accounts for 23 of those deaths, St. Thomas for 17, and St. John for none. The previous tally of 39 was reached after the September 28 killing of 21-year-old J'Niya Rambaran on Veterans Drive in St. Thomas.
The apparent suicide on Sunday is at least the fifth such death or suspected self-inflicted injury reported in the territory this year. Earlier cases included a woman's death in Anna's Retreat on St. Thomas in January, a suspected homicide-suicide in Estate St. John on St. Croix in September, a man found dead near Market Square on St. Thomas on September 16, and a 16-year-old boy's death at Lorraine Village on St. Croix on September 24. Official classifications for some of these deaths remain pending.
Investigators have disclosed no suspect or motive in the Golden Rock shooting. The public is urged to contact the Criminal Investigation Bureau at 340-778-2211, Crime Stoppers V.I. at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477), or dial 911 with any leads.
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