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Update: Man Dead After Late-Night Shooting on St. Croix; Person of Interest Arrested

Dec. 29, 10.20 p.m.

A man on St. Croix is dead following a shooting late Wednesday night in downtown Frederiksted, and a telephonic warrant was issued and executed, leading to the arrest of two people, the V.I. Police Department reported.

The Criminal Investigation Bureau and the Special Operation Bureau K-9 Unit traveled to #17 East St., Christiansted, where the premises were secured, and the telephonic warrant was executed. During the search of the residence, a loaded firearm was recovered and secured for further comparison, according to the police report.

Residents Deseree Maria Rodriquez, 52, and Renaldo Lewis Santos, 42, denied knowing anything about the firearm, and both were arrested and charged with possession of an unlicensed firearm, police said. Santos is a person of interest in the homicide, but the investigation is ongoing, the report stated.

Bail was set at $50,000. Rodriquez and Santos were unable to post bond and were transported to the John Bell Correctional Facility pending their advice of rights hearings on Friday, police said.

Dec. 29, 8.45 a.m.

A man on St. Croix is dead following a shooting late Wednesday night in downtown Frederiksted, the V.I. Police Department reported.

According to a preliminary report, 911 received calls from several individuals around 11:36 p.m. Wednesday that a shooting victim was lying in the middle of King Street in the vicinity of KFC, the department stated.

Emergency Medical Services personnel arrived at the scene but did not find any signs of life, it said.

The victim was identified as Bradley Maxwell, 44, by his next of kin. His death just days before the start of the new year, and as St. Croix celebrates its Christmas Festival and President Joe Biden’s holiday visit, marks the territory’s 35th homicide of 2022, according to the Source Homicide List.* There have been 25 on St. Croix, 10 on St. Thomas, and none on St. John.

The police investigation continues. Anyone with information should call the CIB Tipline at 340-778-4850 or 340-712-6082, Crime Stoppers USVI at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS), or 911.

* The Source Homicide List is a chronological log of the homicides recorded in 2022 in the U.S. Virgin Islands, as reported by the VIPD. Cases are broken down by island. While it is based on VIPD reports, the Source does not include suicides or vehicular homicides in its listing that the police and some other media do. This can lead to a discrepancy in the number of incidents reported.

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