A 21-year-old man was fatally shot Monday afternoon near the Superior Court on St. Croix, prompting a homicide investigation by the Virgin Islands Police Department.
Police said the 911 Emergency Call Center received several reports of gunfire at approximately 2:06 p.m. Officers responding to the scene found the victim, later identified as Angel Rodriguez III, unresponsive inside a vehicle near the entrance to the Superior Court parking lot.
Emergency medical personnel were called to the scene and confirmed that Rodriguez had died from his injuries. Authorities subsequently notified his next of kin.
The Virgin Islands Police Department’s Criminal Investigation Bureau is handling the case as a homicide. Investigators are working to establish what happened before the shooting and identify whoever was responsible.
The killing marked the 18th homicide recorded on St. Croix in 2026 and the 31st homicide across the U.S. Virgin Islands this year, according to the report.
Authorities have not publicly announced an arrest or disclosed a possible motive. Investigators are asking anyone who may have witnessed the incident or has information that could assist the investigation to contact police.
The shooting occurred in the vicinity of a major judicial facility, where police activity and emergency response personnel were present following the incident.
The investigation remains active as detectives gather evidence and work to reconstruct the circumstances surrounding Rodriguez’s death.
