A man was shot dead late Wednesday night, March 20, 2019, inside the Harmony Grocery Store and Bar, which is located near the Watergut Shanty in Christiansted, after an argument escalated, the Consortium has learned. Photo: VI Consortium

USVIPD Public Information Officer, Glen Dratte subsequently confirmed the deadly incident to the publication while noting that a second individual who was attempting to deescalate the argument—that had erupted between the two men—was grazed by a bullet, Mr. Dratte said.

The incident was reported to the 911 emergency call center at about 10:19pm by concerned residents, who said a man was down in the grocery store.

Lifeless Body

Upon arrival to the location, officers saw a man lying lifeless on the ground with multiple gunshot wounds about his body. A preliminary investigation revealed that the suspect pulled out a gun and fired multiple shots at the victim during the argument, killing him on the spot.

The suspect fled the scene and had not be apprehended by police as of Thursday morning, Mr. Dratte said. The victim’s identity was withheld pending next of kin notification, Mr. Dratte noted.

Wednesday night’s shooting brought the total territory-wide to four since Sunday—three of which occurred in St. Thomas—a re-escalation in violent crime since the January flare up that left five people dead on St. Croix.