The incident took place on the Melvin Evans Highway on St Croix, USVI, right after the first Estate Carlton stoplights when heading west. Photo: Virgin Islands Daily News

The incident took place on the Melvin Evans Highway on St Croix, USVI, right after the first Estate Carlton stoplights when heading west. According to Mr. Richards, citing a preliminary report, the four injured men, who were transported to the hospital via ambulance, told officers that their car had gotten a flat tire, and that they were awaiting someone to bring a replacement, when an individual drove near them and opened fire.

But the case took a strange twist, Mr. Richards said, when another individual, who was badly injured in his hand, arrived at the hospital stating that he had been shot in Estate La Grange around the same time that the Estate Carlton incident transpired. “We’re trying to connect the dots,” Mr. Richards told The Consortium, adding that the investigation was still in its early stages.

A VIPD unit was dispatched to the Juan F. Luis Hospital to interview the men, while other officers were on the scene still investigating the occurrence — which included shell casings and the vehicle that the men were traveling in.

On the highway, The Consortium saw at least two officers redirecting vehicles that were attempting to head west through the first Estate Carlton stoplights. The officers ordered motorists to take the right intersection that leads to the Queen Mary Highway (Centerline Road) instead. And at least four police vehicles were parked close to the crime scene while detectives conducted their investigation.

Motorists were allowed to travel west to east, however, and some vehicles slowed to crawl, trying to establish what was going on.

Police were still on the scene when The Consortium left the area.