COURT DOCKET EXCLUSIVE: St. Thomas Man Arrested in Savan After Shots Fired Near Elementary School, Claims Gun Was Found in Gut
By JOHN McCARTHY / St. Croix Sun News Reporter
CHARLOTTE AMALIE — A St. Thomas man remains behind bars at the Virgin Islands Bureau of Corrections after being apprehended by police detectives in the historic Savan neighborhood following a volley of afternoon gunfire near a local elementary school. The suspect, identified in Superior Court documents as J'Hmkai M. Boyd, was detained on Friday, June 12, after matching the exact description of an armed individual fleeing the scene of active shots-fired reports.
The incident unfolded at approximately 3:30 p.m. when Police Detective Eliana Rijo responded to an emergency dispatch of weapon discharges at Vester Gade in the Savan area. While responding units were en route, a secondary report of gunfire in the immediate Savan Gut area was received, prompting a coordinated search by multiple officers. Although an initial sweep of the gut area yielded no immediate suspects , a concerned citizen stepped forward to provide a crucial description to Officer Vanterpool, identifying a short African-American male dressed in all-black skinny attire leaving the exact location where the shots had been fired.
Moments later, Detective Rijo spotted an individual matching the description standing on Irving Brown Street near the former Red Ball Grocery Store. Backed by a team consisting of Sergeant Carty and Officers Richardson and Febres, detectives converged on the area. When ordered by Detective Rijo to come over and speak with the police, Boyd flatly refused, stating that he was not talking. Officer Richardson then directed the suspect to place his hands behind his back, notifying him that he was being detained for investigation.
The situation escalated quickly during a routine frisk for officer safety. As Sergeant Carty began applying handcuffs, he discovered a hidden weapon and questioned the suspect about it. Boyd immediately responded to detectives by claiming that he had simply found the firearm inside the gut. Officer Richardson lifted the suspect's shirt, revealing a silver-and-black Astra A-75 pistol tucked towards the front of his waistline. Forensic services were called to the scene, and a subsequent inspection of the weapon revealed that the semi-automatic handgun was loaded with a magazine containing nine live 9mm rounds, with several additional loose rounds discovered riding inside Boyd’s rear right pants pocket.
Following a reading of his Miranda rights, Boyd was transported to the Richard N. Callwood Command booking room, where he officially declined to provide any further statements to investigators. A background check quickly revealed that Boyd does not possess a license to carry a firearm within the territory. Furthermore, an architectural measurement conducted during the investigation determined that Boyd was carrying the loaded handgun within a mere 415 feet of the Jane E. Tuitt Elementary School campus.
Assistant Attorney General Brenda Scales signed off on the formal charges on Sunday , leading to the official court filing this morning. Boyd has been formally hit with three criminal counts, including unauthorized possession of a firearm, unauthorized possession of ammunition, and carrying an unauthorized firearm within 1,000 feet of a school zone. Bail has been set by order of the court at $50,000.00 in U.S. currency. Unable to post the required amount, Boyd was remanded to the Bureau of Corrections as he awaits his formal Advise of Rights hearing in the Superior Court.
Connecting the dots in Savan
Here is how the timeline and geography connect when you lay the dockets out side-by-side:
The Geography: Tre’Vante Etienne was gunned down in the Savan neighborhood. J'Hmkai M. Boyd was arrested on Irving Brown Street, right near Vester Gade and the Savan Gut—the exact epicenter of the neighborhood's active crime zone.
The High-Velocity Timeline: According to the probable cause sheet, the gunfire that led to Boyd's arrest occurred on Friday, June 12, at 3:30 p.m.. This means active, daylight shooting was happening in the exact same gut just as tension and community grief over Etienne's recent murder were reaching a boiling point.
The "Found It" Alibi: When cornered by Sergeant Carty and Officer Richardson, Boyd claimed he simply "found" the loaded Astra 9mm pistol sitting in the gut. In neighborhood violence cases, the "I just found it on the ground" excuse is a classic legal defense mechanism used by individuals trying to distance themselves from a weapon that may have recently been fired or discarded in a panic.
