Attorney General Gordon Rhea announced a new “uncompromising approach” to gun-crime prosecution Wednesday, saying the emphasis was needed as the Virgin Islands “confronts an alarming rise in gun violence.”
Rhea said in a written statement that gun-related crimes would be met with the “full force of the law.”
“We will not tolerate individuals who terrorize our communities with illegal firearms. We will take a tough stand in court, vigorously prosecute these cases, and hold violent offenders fully accountable. Those who bring guns into the commission of crimes should expect that we will seek every lawful measure available to protect the people of this territory,” he said.
Several high-profile shootings in recent weeks, including the yet-unsolved June 12 killing of 15-year-old Tre’Vante Etienne, have sparked renewed concern about gunplay in the territory. May ended with a double homicide and a third person injured in a shooting at Lindbergh Bay in St. Thomas. June ended with the shooting of a man and a woman at Lorraine Village, St. Croix. A string of shootings and unlicensed firearms arrests in the days between left community leaders calling for calm and for witnesses to come forward.
The first two weeks of June, a St. Croix man was charged with allegedly robbing people at gunpoint on Christiansted’s Market Street, masked gunmen reportedly robbed a man in Bovoni, a St. Croix man was allegedly found with an unlicensed firearm during a domestic dispute, two people were shot to death and two others injured at a Peter’s Rest bar, a St. Thomas man allegedly tried to smuggle 500 bullets into the territory for resale, and Etienne was killed at a Savan basketball court.
On June 13, a St. Thomas man was arrested allegedly in possession of ammunition and an unlicensed firearm after allegedly threatening to “shell down” a man after being ejected from a strip club.
June 14, a new revised firearms control law praised by Rhea was enacted. Rhea said it marked a “major milestone in strengthening public safety while ensuring compliance with constitutional protections.”
On June 15, a man died from multiple gunshot wounds in the Whim area of St. Croix; a person was shot at the Walter I.M. Hodge community the same day; two men were allegedly found in possession of unlicensed firearms at separate traffic stops in St. Thomas and another in St. John. The next day, police were investigating a Hospital Ground homicide.
On June 17, Lt. Gov. Tregenza Roach addressed the violence at a press conference.
“The police cannot be everywhere, and if … the people who have information are not going to share — to assist — the police in making arrests and in investigating these crimes, then we’re going to be living in an environment that does not generate and produce the results that we want to see, in terms of justice being delivered and suspects being apprehended and charged,” Roach said.
During the following brief reprieve in gun crimes, U.S. Customs and Border Protection acknowledged airlines did not alert federal officers when firearms were brought into the territory in checked baggage. It was the importer’s duty to report the firearm to local law enforcement officers at the airport, but few, if any, safeguards were in place to ensure they did.
On June 25, a man was found dead next to a firearm in Mahogany Run. Police had few details to share but were investigating the incident as a homicide. Two days later, a licensed gun owner allegedly gunned down a man at a St. Croix gas station.
On Jun 29, Gov. Albert Bryan Jr. said he was temporarily reassigning executive branch peace officers to help bolster police ranks. It was the same day police were searching for the Lorraine Village shooting suspect.
It wasn’t clear to what degree Rhea planned to change how criminal gun cases were prosecuted. Very often, plea agreements allow a defendant to admit to one charge to avoid another.
The Virgin Islands’ chief public defender, former Superior Court Judge Jomo Meade, said the Attorney General’s office had a constitutional obligation to bring criminal charges when it’s appropriate. Likewise, the Public Defender’s Office is required to defend the accused zealously, within the confines of the law, he said.
“There is a lot of gun violence,” Meade said. “But studies have shown that harsh penalties don’t really detour crime.”
Meade said taking a case all the way to trial or allowing for a plea agreement depended on many circumstances gathered and debated by defense attorneys and prosecutors.
“A prosecutor’s job is not to convict but to see that justice is done,” Meade said.
