Tourist killed after being caught in gang crossfire

[DaveS007]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FPSWvOFe ... r_embedded#!

Moving on isn't a bad thing. I'm liking STX.

[Boston Mike]

Sorry to hear of this tragic event on St. Thomas. My prayers go out to the family of the this poor girl.

My opinion is that this would not stop me from going to the Virgin Islands.

[lprof]

Double Homicide Suspect Arrested After Turning Himself In

After an all-night search through the East End of St. Thomas, police were told early Tuesday morning that 22-year-old Steven Tyson, suspected of being one of the major players in Monday's deadly shootout at Coki Point Beach, was turning himself in.
Police said they put a hard press on Tyson's contacts throughout the night, looking in all the places they thought he might be hiding.
Press were called in Tuesday afternoon in time to see Tyson after he was booked at the Zone A Command station and escorted upstairs to the Bureau of Corrections, where he will remain until he's advised of his rights Wednesday.
Assistant Police Commissioner Raymond Hyndman said in a subsequent briefing that Tyson came to the station before noon accompanied by his lawyer, and has been arrested and charged with first-degree murder.
Monday's shootout left two dead: 18-year-old Shahid Joseph, who police say was on the other side of the gun play with Tyson, and 14-year-old Lizmarie Perez Chapparro, a tourist shot while traveling aboard a safari bus that got caught in the crossfire.
The deadly scene erupted in the midst of a funeral being held at the Coki Point Cemetery for Joseph Ferrari Jr., who died after being shot late last month in the Tutu Park Mall parking lot. Police said Tuesday that they are still looking into whether Ferrari's death and Monday's shootout are connected, or whether Joseph was even a target.
"We want to get all the facts before we make a determination on what led to the shooting," Hyndman said Tuesday.
While the other three persons of interest picked up at the scene Monday have since been released, District Police Chief Rodney Querrard Sr. said there should soon be more arrests. Community members have been calling in around the clock with information, which has helped police determine that more than one person was involved in the incident, but police need that continued cooperation to help wrap up the case, he added.
Meanwhile, the department is going to continue doing what it can to clamp down on what they and other top officials have basically described as a continued onslaught of vigilante justice fueled by local gang and turf wars. Funerals have recently become a stomping ground for some of this activity, and police have been receiving calls from families requesting that the police stand guard at the services, Querrard said.
"Yesterday we were not notified that a funeral was taking place," he added. "We did have officers in the area at the time, but they were not enough. But we will continue to maintain a presence at the funerals and other such events -- the next funeral is on Thursday and we will be there."
In the interim, VIPD and other government agencies are running damage control with the cruise lines, and want to assure visitors that they aren't targets. Chapparro and her family were passengers aboard the Carnival Victory, whose captain sent notice to guests Monday evening that the ship's on-shore excursions, including Coki Point Beach, have been suspended until further notice.
"We want to assure visitors and citizens alike that the V.I. Police Department is going to do everything possible to protect this territory," Hyndman said Tuesday.

http://stthomassource.com/content/news/ ... ng-himself

[sailorgirl]

Double Homicide Suspect Arrested After Turning Himself In

After an all-night search through the East End of St. Thomas, police were told early Tuesday morning that 22-year-old Steven Tyson, suspected of being one of the major players in Monday's deadly shootout at Coki Point Beach, was turning himself in.
Police said they put a hard press on Tyson's contacts throughout the night, looking in all the places they thought he might be hiding.
Press were called in Tuesday afternoon in time to see Tyson after he was booked at the Zone A Command station and escorted upstairs to the Bureau of Corrections, where he will remain until he's advised of his rights Wednesday.
Assistant Police Commissioner Raymond Hyndman said in a subsequent briefing that Tyson came to the station before noon accompanied by his lawyer, and has been arrested and charged with first-degree murder.
Monday's shootout left two dead: 18-year-old Shahid Joseph, who police say was on the other side of the gun play with Tyson, and 14-year-old Lizmarie Perez Chapparro, a tourist shot while traveling aboard a safari bus that got caught in the crossfire.
The deadly scene erupted in the midst of a funeral being held at the Coki Point Cemetery for Joseph Ferrari Jr., who died after being shot late last month in the Tutu Park Mall parking lot. Police said Tuesday that they are still looking into whether Ferrari's death and Monday's shootout are connected, or whether Joseph was even a target.
"We want to get all the facts before we make a determination on what led to the shooting," Hyndman said Tuesday.
While the other three persons of interest picked up at the scene Monday have since been released, District Police Chief Rodney Querrard Sr. said there should soon be more arrests. Community members have been calling in around the clock with information, which has helped police determine that more than one person was involved in the incident, but police need that continued cooperation to help wrap up the case, he added.
Meanwhile, the department is going to continue doing what it can to clamp down on what they and other top officials have basically described as a continued onslaught of vigilante justice fueled by local gang and turf wars. Funerals have recently become a stomping ground for some of this activity, and police have been receiving calls from families requesting that the police stand guard at the services, Querrard said.
"Yesterday we were not notified that a funeral was taking place," he added. "We did have officers in the area at the time, but they were not enough. But we will continue to maintain a presence at the funerals and other such events -- the next funeral is on Thursday and we will be there."
In the interim, VIPD and other government agencies are running damage control with the cruise lines, and want to assure visitors that they aren't targets. Chapparro and her family were passengers aboard the Carnival Victory, whose captain sent notice to guests Monday evening that the ship's on-shore excursions, including Coki Point Beach, have been suspended until further notice.
"We want to assure visitors and citizens alike that the V.I. Police Department is going to do everything possible to protect this territory," Hyndman said Tuesday.

http://stthomassource.com/content/news/ ... ng-himself

Sounds like the fact it involved a tourist was the only rhing that got the authority's attention...a shame for the law abiding citizens of the USVI.

[dtenel]

I have to admitt that even though I am a HUGE STT lover, I may be heading somewhere else for my vacation next year. We have already paid in full for everything for our trip this December and I am starting to get pretty worried. I know that ALL places have crime, but the way things are going on STT I am afraid that they are going to suffer some major economic hardships if this continues. The cruises are going to stop coming into port, land based people are going to find another caribbean paradise to go to, and STT is going to have a major economic crisis on their hands. I am so saddened by what could happen due to all the crime that is senseless.

[designbyroe]

Sorry to hear of this tragic event on St. Thomas. My prayers go out to the family of the this poor girl.

My opinion is that this would not stop me from going to the Virgin Islands.

I agree with you Mike. I was just on island in April/May and felt totally safe. I guess I know so many people that live on island FT and I feel they would tell me if they thought it has really become that unsafe.

My heart goes out to the people who lost their child today. That is just beyond sad.

[lprof]

Are there any youth programs on STJ to try and steer the kids in the right direction?

Some information on one program

http://www.usingsportforsocialchange.com/

Surely there are others.

[petepie]

This is terrible. I may be moving on from the USVI too. Getting too expensive, and I don't like how the crime stats keep edging upward.

[XOXO]

Is it other things, Jorge, or just this incident? Is this something you've been mulling over for a while.

We are planning to go in October, but we haven't booked a villa yet. Something isn't sitting right with me, and I'm wondering if I should sit one out and hope it gets better or go one more time real quick before it gets worse. Sad to say, but I've read a lot of scary comments all over the net today about this situation and the state of the USVI.

I have heard of people getting robbed in their villas, people getting their car bumped so they could be robbed, murders, not to mention all the drug dealing and general malaise. Of course, most vacation spots have all this stuff.

I'm not sure. I'm not generally the type to be alarmist, but this was truly the first time that I thought maybe tourists aren't safe. This wasn't someone who was in the wrong place at the wrong time. It was a little girl on a group excursion from a cruise ship...

Lulu, I feel the same way. I have planned trips to St. John a few times and always get cold feet. I can't really say what it is. We felt safe when we were there, so, there isn't any reason for me to feel this way.

I also believe that problems like this exist in other areas. Maybe Jorges Dominica is should be our next destination. It sounds very safe and a lot like what others describe of the Virgin Islands in days past.

My sympathy goes out to the families who have lost their loved ones way too young.

xoxo

[bnsilly]

This all makes me very sad...St. John has a HUGE place in my heart..The police really need to crack down on all this before it turns more like Jamaica...The USVI's are too beautiful to let go to waste because of a select few...

[mit43]

Are there any youth programs on STJ to try and steer the kids in the right direction?

Some information on one program

http://www.usingsportforsocialchange.com/

Surely there are others.

Thanks.

[Joppa]

This all makes me very sad...
Crime cannot be avoided anywhere. I know when I was on STJ in January, in Coral Bay I saw a flyer posted for a missing man. Recently on St.john Rescues FB page there was something about a man going missing from "The Quiet Mon", in June. Actually very little was posted. It is in their wall photos, and you have to enlarge the photo to see the message. I couldn't find any more info about this guy anywhere. I wonder what happened to him. I am not ready to book a trip just yet, but I don't think this stuff will stop me. We Love St.John.

[Gromit]

First, my heart goes out to the family that lost their child. It was clearly a senseless act of violence.

Second, I will continue to visit STJ and the BVI's until I can no longer afford to.

Our trips help support jobs and those jobs keep people gainfully employed so that they can live and feed their families and hopefully avoid the temptations of selling drugs and getting involved in illegal activity which leads to this kind of violence.

Whether my money creates the "right" kinds of jobs for people or not is not for me to say or judge.

Clearly there are systemic problems that will not be solved overnight and can certainly not be solved by us. The people of the VI's need to seek that change and many are doing so. Unfortunately, this can take decades. Two steps forward and one step back.

Education is the key and I know that Mr. Benjamin has worked his whole life to educate an entire generation of Virgin Islanders.

Sadly there is a lot of bad history to overcome but I have faith that they will work together to overcome the current challenges.

These kinds of stories always spark debate and I think that debate is healthy.

Ultimately you have to make a decision that is right for you and your family.

In the meantime, I am looking forward to my two weeks on Jost and STJ in December and will continue to travel to the VI.

Of course, my packing list includes a machete. So I'm good

[yourtheexpert]

Prohibition creates an underground market with no regulation, creating gangs and creating violence. The problem isn't the people, its the lack of regulations and the laws. End prohibition and you reduce the gangs and violence.

[mit43]

So, if we legalize everything there would be no gangs or violence? Somehow I don't think that is the answer...

We have to start with the kids and show them there is a better way to live life and be a part of the solution.

I couldn't sleep last night. The question that kept going through my mind is "what can I do to help?". The answer for me is not to stop going, but to be more involved when I am there.