July 23, 2008 — Assault charges against 25-year-old Aneury Baez Reyna were upgraded to first-degree murder after one of the people Reyna shot Monday at St. Thomas' Déjà Vu Bar died of his wounds at Schneider Regional Medical Center.
Police were dispatched around 2:08 a.m. Monday to investigate a shooting at the bar, located on Norre Gade. They found that one Hispanic male had sustained at least one gunshot wound to the chest. An ambulance took the victim to the hospital, where he died the next day.
Another victim suffered at least one gunshot wound to the abdomen, according to a V.I. Police Department news release.
Reyna was confronted by a police officer in the area around the time of the shooting. Reyna fired his gun at the officer before fleeing the area on foot, the release said. After launching a search in conjunction with several local and federal law enforcement agencies, police were notified Tuesday that Reyna was at the Henry E. Rohlsen Airport on St. Croix, where he had been detained. Reyna, who suffered a gunshot wound to the upper left leg during the incident, was subsequently taken to the Juan Luis Hospital, where he received treatment.
After being transported to St. Thomas, Reyna was charged with three counts of first-degree assault, three counts of third-degree assault and possession of an unlicensed firearm. He was remanded to the Bureau of Corrections pending an advice-of-rights hearing.
Police were notified Tuesday evening that one of the victims shot during the incident had died at the hospital. Charges against Reyna were consequently upgraded to first- and second-degree murder.
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