St. Thomas Man Arrested After Cemetery Shootout Following High-Speed Chase

A St. Thomas man has been arrested and charged with multiple felonies following a predawn pursuit that ended in a gunfight at Western Cemetery III on November 2.

Jeavon Francis, 25, of Altona was taken into custody by the Criminal Investigation Bureau and faces counts of unauthorized firearm possession, unauthorized ammunition possession, and second-degree reckless endangerment, according to court filings.

The incident began around 3:47 a.m. when the territory's ShotSpotter system detected rapid gunfire near Harwood Highway close to the cemetery. Officers arrived within five minutes to find a black Jeep Wrangler crashed against the cemetery wall at the Banco Popular intersection, its rear windshield destroyed and bullet holes visible in the front and rear passenger side.

Surveillance footage from multiple intersections between Nisky and Banco Popular showed Francis's vehicle fleeing Subbase while pursued by two other vehicles, one a silver sedan. The Jeep crossed into oncoming traffic on Veterans Drive before turning onto Judy Gomez Highway and striking the cemetery perimeter.

Video evidence captured the driver vaulting over the cemetery wall and taking shelter among the graves. From that position, the driver fired a handgun toward the silver sedan. The driver then exited the cemetery and entered a second Jeep Wrangler parked on Judy Gomez Highway.

Occupants of the silver sedan emerged with flashlights, entered the cemetery, and searched through the burial grounds before leaving the area. Forensic technicians later recovered more than 20 spent cartridge casings from the graveyard location where the exchange occurred.

Inside the abandoned Jeep, officers found Francis's territorial identification and bank cards in a black Louis Vuitton wallet, along with food containers, sneakers, a backpack, a gas can, and work tools.

Francis did not initially appear for questioning. On November 9, his attorney Clive Rivers contacted investigators seeking the return of employer tools left in the impounded vehicle. Detectives declined to release the items until Francis submitted to an interview.

Later that day, Francis arrived at the Criminal Investigation Bureau with his attorney. He confirmed he owned the Jeep and was driving it when it crashed into the cemetery. Francis stated he had gone to Arian's in Subbase around 3:30 a.m. for food and spoke with two female acquaintances in a blue Jeep. He said that while passing Krushy's food spot near Crown Bay and Doctor's Choice, gunfire struck his vehicle. Fearing for his safety, he accelerated down the wrong side of Veterans Drive until crashing and scaling the cemetery wall.

When Detective Brian Bedminster asked whether Francis had returned fire inside the cemetery, his attorney stopped the interview, preventing further responses about the gunfire.

Investigators matched Francis's account of his route and the items recovered from the vehicle to the surveillance footage and the 20 casings found at the scene. He was booked and transferred to the Bureau of Corrections at the Alexander A. Farrelly Justice Center awaiting an Advice of Rights hearing before Magistrate Simone M. VanHolten-Turnbull in St. Thomas Superior Court.