VIPD Nabs Murder Suspect After Fatal Shooting at Sion Farm Gas Station
By JOHN McCARTHY / St. Croix Sun News Reporter
ST. CROIX — A 50-year-old man was shot and killed early Friday evening at a service station in Sion Farm, triggering an immediate police response that resulted in the swift apprehension of the suspected gunman directly at the scene.
The victim has been positively identified by next of kin as Pedro Melendez Sanes, 50.
According to official police dockets, the incident began unfolding at approximately 7:07 p.m. on Friday, June 26, 2026. The St. Croix 911 Emergency Call Center initially received an automated ShotSpotter notification indicating gunfire in the immediate vicinity of the WMJR Service Station in Sion Farm. Simultaneously, multiple citizen callers flooded the emergency lines reporting shots fired at the location.
Virgin Islands Police Department (VIPD) patrol units, Emergency Medical Services (EMS), and specialized forensic personnel were immediately dispatched to the scene.
Upon arrival, emergency responders discovered Sanes unresponsive. EMS personnel evaluated the victim and determined he showed no signs of life; he was officially pronounced deceased at the crime scene.
Investigation Active, But Suspect In Custody
In a rapid operational development, VIPD officers successfully cornered and apprehended the primary shooting suspect on-site before they could flee the service station grounds. The suspect's identity and the formal criminal charges are currently being processed through the VIPD’s Criminal Investigation Bureau (CIB) and will lock into the court dockets ahead of an impending advice-of-rights hearing.
While a suspect is securely in custody, homicide detectives are aggressively processing the scene and maintaining an active investigation into the underlying motive behind the fatal shooting.
Authorities are requesting that anyone who witnessed the gunfire at the WMJR Service Station or has localized surveillance footage to contact the Criminal Investigation Bureau at 340-778-2211, submit an anonymous tip through Crime Stoppers USVI at 1-800-222-8477, or call 911 immediately.
