Twenty-one lives were tragically cut short in the St Thomas, St John, and Water Island district due to violence in 2023, according to statistics released by the US Virgin Islands Police Department (VIPD) on January 16.
Speaking at a briefing, Briget Conow, Captain of the St Thomas, St John and Water Island Criminal Investigations Bureau, said all of the “senseless crimes” were carried out using firearms.
Of the 21 murders, 10 remain unsolved.
Conow appealed with the community for assistance to solve the crimes and assist the grieving families.
“We would like your continued assistance to bring closure to these murders,” Conow stated.
The shooting death of Archie Perry Jr is one of the cases from 2023 that remains unsolved.
He was the 17 person murdered on St Thomas last year.
Perry Jr,39, was shot on September 23 at the “Concrete Bar” in at around 11:30pm.
Perry Jr was a visitor to St Thomas and he was assisting his father, Archie Perry Sr, in the family’s construction business.
A US$100,000 reward is being offered for assistance that could help solve the father of four’s murder.
Perry Sr spoke at the briefing and he said what happened to his son was wrong.
“He was a guy that was full of life and would help anybody,” Perry Sr said.
He urged anyone with information to call the anonymous tip line as it is the best way to safeguard themselves from becoming a statistic after divulging the information.
I don’t want anybody to get hurt telling anything about my son. This is a very safe way to give out information. I’m asking and begging the people of the island to please help me. This is a rough time for me and my family and I am still trying to get over it,” he said.
Perry Sr noted that he feels some guilt about his son’s death since he was the one who brought him to the USVI to work.
Steven Phillip, Chief of Police of the St Thomas, St John and Water Island District, encouraged islanders to work with the police to make their communities a safe place.
“Our community is too small to be having these senseless killing happening all the time. We have to come to together…if you see something, say something,” Phillip said.
