June 4, 2001 — A 17-year-old boy was shot and killed Sunday night by a police officer on St. Croix during a domestic dispute that turned violent.
According to St. Croix Deputy Police Chief Novelle Francis, police received a call at about 9:30 p.m. of a disturbance in progress at a home in the Spyglass Hill area. At the scene officers confronted the 17-year-old Central High School student, Asie Rogers, who, according to his mother, had threatened her with a 9-inch kitchen knife after an argument with his sister.
In the presence of officers, the youth allegedly lunged at his mother. At that point, Francis said the officers asked him to accompany them out of the home. While doing so, young Rogers reportedly attacked the officers unsuccessfully with the knife.
Francis said the youth was told twice to drop the weapon. When he didn’t drop it after a third order, one of the officers shot him once in the chest.
Rogers was taken to the Juan F. Luis Hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Francis said the officer who shot the youth has been placed on administrative leave pending investigation by the department’s Criminal Investigation Bureau and Internal Affairs Unit.
