A 17-month-old baby was killed after being struck in her left chest by a bullet on Wednesday night, December 14, 2016 on St Thomas, US Virgin Islands (USVI). Photo: VIC

The incident reportedly occurred while the family traveled in a car in the vicinity of Contant Knolls, on the road near the St Thomas Taxi Association, US] Virgin Islands Police Department (VIPD) Public Information Officer Glen Dratte confirmed to The Consortium just after midnight.

The information was relayed to Mr Dratte by St Thomas Police Chief Jason Marsh, who was on the scene after the incident, and followed the victims who survived the shooting to the Roy Lester Schneider Regional Hospital.

The incident occurred after 10:00 P.M. last night, according to Chief Marsh. He said someone came up to the vehicle (it was not clear whether this person was on foot on in another vehicle), and opened fire on the car that the victims were traveling in, leaving the driver and the baby’s mother wounded, and the girl child, after being shot in the left chest, dead.

Chief Marsh, who was at the hospital in the wee hours of Thursday, said the victim who survived were in stable condition.

Talk of the incident erupted on social media late Wednesday and early Thursday, with residents decrying the incident. The child’s image was even shared online.

St Thomas has led this year with homicides, with this latest incident bringing the island’s total for 2016 to 31, according to data provided by the VIPD, seen below. In contrast, St Croix has seen 25 homicides this year, bringing the territory’s total this year to 55, up 25 percent year-on-year.

The VIPD is asking anyone with information that may lead to the arrest of crime perpetrators to contact the Criminal Investigation Bureau at (340) 714-9801. You can also contact 911 or Crime Stoppers USVI, where your tip could net you a payday.