Oct. 1, 2007 — Though rumors have continued to circulate about a Sunday-afternoon shootout at Magens Bay Beach that left one man dead and two others wounded, police still do not have a clear picture of what actually happened or how many people were involved in the incident.
What is known, however, is that two suspects have already been arrested in the case. Another person of interest to police, who was shot in the leg Sunday, remains in stable condition at Schneider Regional Medical Center, said V.I. Police Department spokesperson Monyka Johnigan on Monday. The individual, who also remains unidentified, is under police guard, she said.
Another individual, also wounded during the incident, was also treated at the hospital and has already been released. That person is currently not in police custody, Johnigan said.
It is still unclear where or when the two wounded individuals were shot, she added, or whether they can be linked to the murder. Police officers were attending a function near the concession stand and mobilized after hearing gunshots from an altercation that initially took place on the other side of beach, Johnigan said.
She would neither confirm nor deny whether police were involved in any aspect of the shootings.
Police reports indicate the most severely injured victim was found lying on the ground across from the concession stand, where he was subsequently treated for his wounds. The victim was shot in the abdomen and died in surgery after being transported to the hospital, Deputy Police Chief Melvin Venzen said Sunday.
Two suspects — one minor and an 18-year-old identified by court records as St. Thomas resident Carl T. Burley — have been arrested in connection with the murder and charged with possession of an unlicensed firearm.
During an advice-of-rights hearing on Monday, V.I. Superior Court Judge Leon H. Kendall did not find probable cause to hold Burley on the charge, said a Department of Justice official. The minor, whose name is not being released, was also advised of his rights in family court on Monday. However, the disposition of that hearing is still unknown.
Burley and the minor were apprehended at the beach after police pulled over and searched the white Chevrolet Blazer in which they were traveling, Police Officer Shikima Rhymer wrote in an affidavit attached to Burley's court file.
While at the beach Sunday Rhymer observed "several individuals" fleeing the scene of a shooting incident near shed No. 2, she wrote. Rhymer, along with one of the beach's security officers, were searching the area when they were contacted by another officer who said he saw two black males running toward a white Blazer and heading toward the entrance to the beach.
After pulling the Blazer over, Rhymer conducted a routine registration check, then asked the two occupants to step out of the vehicle. A search of the car turned up a gun — listed in court documents as a .38-caliber revolver — on the floor at the back of the driver's seat, the affidavit says.
Burley and the minor were then arrested and charged with possession of an unlicensed firearm. The minor was also charged with reckless endangerment, according to Johnigan. Bail for the two suspects was initially set at $25,000, according to court documents.
Police will have a better idea of what happened and how many people were actually involved once an investigation into the incident is complete, Johnigan said.
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