April 20, 8:11 p.m.
A second victim in Sunday’s shooting has died after being taken off life support, the V.I. Police Department reported Thursday.
The deceased was identified by next of kin as 19-year-old Ja’yomi Robe, according to the police report.
Robe’s death marks St. Croix’s seventh homicide of the year and brings the territory’s total to 14 since the start of 2023, according to the Source Homicide List.*
Currently there is one victim in stable but guarded condition in a Florida hospital. As for the other three victims, they were treated and released, police said.
April 17, 7:46 a.m.
One person is dead, another is on life support, and four more were injured in a shooting early Sunday morning on St. Croix, the V.I. Police Department reported.
Officers and Emergency Medical Technicians, alerted by a call to 911 about 4:39 a.m. Sunday, found an unresponsive man lying on the ground across from the Climax Sportsbar and Nightclub in Christiansted. He was identified by next of kin as Jahmari Joshawn Santiago, 19.
Police subsequently learned that five other individuals were transported to Governor Juan F. Luis Hospital in private vehicles, according to the report, including one who is now on life support.
Investigation revealed that the club was closing, and patrons were leaving when a barrage of gunshots rang out. “Currently, it is unknown the reason for the discharging of shots,” the report stated.
St. Croix Police Chief Sean Santos decried the violence in a statement Sunday afternoon.
“This is unacceptable, we live in an intimate community, and when this type of violence happens, it hits home for all of us. Anyone should be able to go anywhere in this territory and enjoy themselves without being a victim of a crime,” Santos said.
“We were doing so well as a people, keeping a lid on violence. We will continue to work, engage and continue our partnership with this community bringing all criminal offenders to justice. Our hearts go out to the victims’ family and friends,” he said.
Santiago’s death marks St. Croix’s sixth homicide of the year, and brings the territory’s total to 13 since the start of 2023, according to the Source Homicide List.*
The case is actively under investigation by the Criminal Investigation Bureau. Anyone with information should call the CIB Tip-Line at 340-778-4850, 911 or Crime Stoppers V.I. at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS).
*The Source Homicide List is a chronological log of the homicides recorded in 2023 in the U.S. Virgin Islands, as reported by the VIPD. Cases are broken down by island. While this listing is based on VIPD reports, the Source does not include suicides or vehicular homicides in its listing, which the police and some other media do. This can lead to a discrepancy in the number of incidents reported.
