A man and woman were gunned down Friday night near the Tutu High Rise housing community, where they both lived, the V.I. Police Department reported. It was the second deadly attack against the man this year, and this time it was successful.
According to Public Information Officer Melody Rames, the incident took place shortly after 10 p.m. on the Anna’s Retreat roadway, which overlooks the community. Officers were dispatched to the site to respond to a report of multiple gunshots being fired. There they found a blue Suzuki riddled with damage from multiple gunshots and surrounded by spent shell casings both outside and inside the vehicle.
Police found the man, who was the legal owner of the vehicle, in the driver’s seat He was later identified as Jaquan Murrell, 20. He was taken by ambulance to the Schneider Regional Medical Center, where he died of his wounds.
A woman, identified as 18-year-old Tiquana Petty, was found in passenger seat. Emergency medical technicians found no vital signs at the scene.
They were the fifth and sixth homicides on St. Thomas since the beginning of the year, the 10th and 11th in the territory.
The police forensics team collected a variety of items of evidentiary value at the scene, Rames said, including a firearm in Murrell’s possession.
Detectives said Murrell was the target of an assault earlier this year. On Jan. 24, he was driving when his vehicle was struck by gunfire. He was hit at least twice in his legs and once on the left side of his chest. His passenger, identified as 22-year-old Kishawn Doyling, died about four hours after the attack.
The police are asking anyone in the community with information about the attack to report by calling Major Crimes detectives at 1-340-642-8449, the 911 dispatch center, the anonymous tip service Crimestoppers VI at 1-800-344-8477. Tips also can be sent by text, by sending a text message that includes USVI plus the message, to 274637 (CRIMES.) Crime Stopper keeps all information confidential.
