Aug. 28, 2002 – A 27-year-old St. Croix man was gunned down Tuesday outside Building 11 of the D. Hamilton Jackson public housing community in Christiansted.
Deputy Police Chief Angel Santos said police officers found Jose Williams Torres face down and dead with multiple gunshot wounds to his body at around 8:31 p.m.
"Police got a call about a gun being discharged," Santos said.
While witnesses have been reluctant to speak out, Santos said, the investigation so far has determined that Williams Torres was seen speaking to someone in a light-colored vehicle minutes before he died. Witnesses differ as to whether there was one person or more than one in the vehicle, he said, but it "drove away, and a couple of minutes later shots rang out."
Williams Torres took off running in a northerly direction before he fell, Santos said. He also said the victim had a plastic gun tucked into his pants but did not know how it might have figured into the man's death.
Santos said Williams Torres had been arrested a number times, but he did not have information about the charges or any convictions. "We do know that he got around quite a bit," the police official said, declining to speculate on whether retaliation might have motivated the shooting.
Williams Torres lived in the John F. Kennedy public housing community and had no known occupation, Santos said. He asked that anyone with information relating to the case call the police at 778-2211, ext. 4530 or 4531, or dial 911. Any information provided "will be kept confidential," he promised.
The homicide is the 26th in the territory and the 10th on St. Croix this year. As of this time last year, the death toll stood at 16 for the territory and 9 for St. Croix; in 2000, the figures were 11 and 4, respectively.
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