Aug. 31, 2007 — The man suspected of gunning down 26-year-old Samuel Nova Valdez inside a local bar Thursday is on the loose and considered armed and dangerous, according to a local police official.
The suspect, 40-year-old Luther Thomas, was involved in a verbal altercation with Valdez at the Marlins Bar in the Altona area on St. Thomas, said Deputy Police Chief Melven Venzen on Friday.
"After the fight, the suspect left the bar, returned and then started to fire," Venzen explained. "The victim fell to the floor and died around the bathroom area."
Witnesses to the incident were subsequently able to pick Thomas' picture out of a photo array, he said. Since many of the witnesses speak Spanish, their statements are currently being translated and should soon reveal more information about what happened, Venzen said.
Photos of Thomas have been distributed to all local law-enforcement agencies, and fliers have also been sent to officials at all ports of entry into the territory, he said.
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