Surreal Performance, Fatal Reality: The ‘Guitar Hero’ of the Fish Market Shooting
By JOHN McCARTHY / St. Croix Sun Staff Writer
UNTOUCHABLE? A close-up of Donnie Heywood, 19, who surrendered to authorities Friday for his alleged role in the March 2025 Frederiksted Fish Market shooting. Deputy Chief Naomi Joseph suggested today that parental "overprotection" can lead a young person to believe they are above the law. (Photo: VIPD/Screengrab)
DATELINE: FREDERIKSTED — The surveillance "b-roll" released by the VIPD doesn't just show a crime; it captures a performance of terrifying perceived “invincibility.”
The St. Croix Sun is examining the March 2, 2025, Frederiksted Fish Market shooting following the arrest of 19-year-old Donnie Heywood. While Deputy Chief Naomi Joseph attributes such brazen violence to parental "overprotection" that makes youth feel "untouchable," evidence of early-teen labor exploitation suggests a much more complex and darker origin for Heywood’s alleged "invincibility."
The Footage: A Private Firing Range The video evidence shows a stationary Heywood perched on a sedan’s window ledge, wielding an AK-style rifle over his shoulders in a manner reminiscent of a rock star with a guitar. Targeting a vehicle less than 20 feet away in broad daylight, the footage reveals a calculated display of violence just steps from the Fish Market. At such close range, the victims had no warning and no escape from what appeared to be a public "performance" of gunfire.
‘Truthspeak’ from the VIPD In a recent briefing, Deputy Chief Naomi Joseph offered a rare sociological critique of the violence:
The Incident: "March 2nd of 2025... everybody was on the beach, cooling out... and shots rang out."
The Arrest: Authorities executed a warrant Friday for Heywood for "shooting the AK out the window."
The "Untouchable" Syndrome: Joseph argued that some parents "overprotect [children] to the point where we give them the ability to believe they are untouchable... It builds character in individuals that make them believe they are above the law."
The ‘Plain Truth’ and the One-Year Gap Despite the clarity of the surveillance footage, a glaring "wart" remains: Why did it take 365 days to arrest a man whose actions were captured in a high-definition split-screen?
Furthermore, the "overprotected" narrative clashes with reports of Heywood’s early teens. If Heywood was indeed working graveyard shifts for a local security firm at age 15, he wasn't being shielded from the world—he was being exploited by it. The community must decide if this was a case of "too much love" or a systemic failure that allowed a child to become a "Hendrix of the AK."
