ST. CROIX CRIME WATCH: THE ANATOMY OF AN ‘OPPORTUNITY’
By JOHN McCARTHY / St. Croix Sun Investigative Reporter
ST. CROIX — The silence of the pre-dawn hours in the St. Croix District is increasingly being shattered by a calculated and violent cycle of "crimes of opportunity." In a recent urgent community briefing, high-ranking officials of the Virgin Islands Police Department, including Chief of Police Uston Cornelius and Deputy Chief of Police Naomi Joseph, laid out a chilling roadmap of how local car thefts are fueling a surge in targeted shootings across the island.
Deputy Chief Joseph, speaking with a bluntness born of necessity, identified a specific and troubling pattern: the targeting of women operating SUVs. According to the VIPD, these individuals are being "rushed upon" by armed suspects in isolated areas, away from the main populace. These are not random acts of joyriding; they are tactical acquisitions. Joseph revealed that these stolen vehicles are the primary engines for recent shootings, used by perpetrators to carry out hits before being "exhausted" and destroyed by fire to eliminate forensic evidence.
The visual evidence provided by the department—showing the charred skeletons of vehicles as onlookers stand by—underscores the finality of this criminal process. Joseph’s message to the women of St. Croix was an appeal for a return to extreme situational awareness. She urged residents to abandon the distractions of their mobile devices, to park only in well-lit areas near their destinations, and, whenever possible, to "walk in packs."
The danger, however, is not limited to those being targeted for their vehicles. While the VIPD maintains that the ongoing shootings are "targeted" rather than random, Joseph offered a grim reminder of the physics of street violence: "the bullet don't have an eye." When a target moves, the shooters follow, and anyone standing in the trajectory is at risk of becoming a casualty of a conflict they have no part in.
The briefing concluded with a significant pivot toward community evidence-gathering. For the VIPD to ensure these cases "stick" in a court of law, the department is desperate for visual confirmation of the perpetrators. The Deputy Chief made a direct plea for citizens to use their own technology to record criminal activity and submit those videos to Crime Stoppers USVI, hoping that the community's eyes can eventually close the high-crime areas that have begun to mar the district’s landscape.
Screen grab of VIPD video posted to Facebook on Good Friday.
NOTABLE QUOTES: Deputy Chief Naomi Joseph’s Warning
On the "Cycle of the Steal": ➼ "We know that the vehicles are being used in the other crimes that we have had happen here recently, the various shootings... and after they have exhausted their usefulness, they are then destroyed."
On Situational Awareness: ➼ "That mean: come off your phone. Put your phone down and pay attention to what's going on around you. Please. Park as close as possible to your destination. In a lit area."
On the Tactical Shift for Women: ➼ "So we are asking females, to please, you are the target, to please be aware of your surroundings—at all times... if possible, walk in packs."
On the Danger to Bystanders: ➼ "However, if the target move, they are following the target. If you're in the way, you just might be in danger. So I'm asking you to remember: that the bullet don't have an eye."
On Making Charges Stick: Joseph said the VIPD needs video of the perpetrators to make the charges hold up in court. She asked the community take videos and send them to Crime Stoppers VI.
