One woman was killed and four people injured in shootings that took place Friday night in Frederiksted on St. Croix, the V.I. Police Department reported.
Next of kin identified the fatally shot woman as 21-year-old Kadiyen Illidge of Sion Hill.
She was the 20th homicide on St. Croix since the beginning of the year, the 38th in the territory, according to the Source’s homicide listing.*
According to police, at 10:18 p.m., the 911 emergency call center received multiple calls from concerned citizens of shots fired near the corner of King and Market Streets in downtown Frederiksted, with one person shot. Officers traveled to the location, where they found an adult female, later identified as Illidge, with a gunshot wound to the head. She was transported to the Gov. Juan F. Luis Hospital, where she succumbed to her injuries.
Police said they believed Illidge had been a bystander who had been caught in the crossfire.
At roughly 11:37 p.m., the 911 emergency call center received additional calls from the hospital regarding two more gunshot victims. Both men received gunshot wounds and were listed in stable condition. The men said they were in the vicinity of Corner Pocket Grillhouse and Nightclub in Kingshill when they were shot upon by an unknown assailant.
At around 11:49 p.m., the 911 Emergency Call Center received notification of another gunshot victim at the hospital with wounds to his mid-section. The victim told police he had been walking in Estate Smithfield and was shot by unknown persons who drove by in a vehicle. He said he does not know who shot him or why he had been shot.
Shortly after, at around 11:53 p.m., a male walked into the hospital with a gunshot wound and told officers he also had been in the vicinity of Corner Pocket when he was shot. He was listed in stable condition.
St. Croix Chief of Police Sidney Elskoe condemned the shooting.
“We will use the department’s resources in pursuit of justice for these victims,” he said.
Elskoe also extended condolences on behalf of the VIPD to the Illidge’s family and urged anyone who saw what happened or has any information about the crime to call 911, the Crime TipLine at 340-778-4950, or the anonymous tip service, Crime Stoppers USVI, at 1-800-222-8477 (1-800-222-TIPS).
* The Source homicide list is based on police reports, but unlike the VIPD list and those of some other media, the Source list does not include suicides or vehicular homicides, which can cause a difference in the totals.
