June 9, 2003 – A man was fatally shot and his companion was seriously wounded late Sunday night in a car police officers found near their residence in Estate Calquohoun, a police report said Monday.
St. Croix Deputy Police Chief Herminio Velazquez said the shootings occurred at about 11:20 p.m. Hector Luis Rivera, 34, was shot in the head and body and died about an hour later at Juan F. Luis Hospital, the release stated, and Rhoda Thomas, 24, was shot once in the chest and was admitted to the hospital in guarded condition.
Officers responding to reports of multiple gunshots found the white vehicle "in the roadway leading to the victims' place of residence, and it appeared that they were shot as they approached their residence," the release said.
Rivera's death is the fourth reported on St. Croix this year and the 16th in the territory. In 2003, when killings reached a new high, there had been six on St. Croix and 19 in the territory as of June 8.
According to Velazquez, police had not determined a motive for the double shooting and had no suspects as of Monday evening. The investigation is continuing, he said, asking that anyone with information concerning the case call the Criminal Investigation Bureau at 778-2211, ext. 4530, the Crime Hotline at 778-4950, or 911.
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