Sean O’Connell, a 54-year-old director of operations for a St. Thomas construction management company, was shot and killed Friday night in the Mandahl Bay area, V.I. police reported Saturday.
At approximately 9:56 p.m., 911 emergency operators sent officers to the Mandahl area, where callers had reported shots fired and an auto accident.
Police on the scene found a pickup truck on its side in a residential neighborhood, and an unresponsive man lying next to it who had been shot. Emergency medical technicians from the Schneider Regional Medical Center determined that the man, identified as O’Connell, was dead. The pickup had visible signs of being shot at, and O’Connell had been shot at least once, police said.
The official cause of death will be be determined by the medical examiner.
St. Thomas/St. John District Police Chief Rodney F. Querrard Sr. is asking the community to assist the Virgin Islands Police Department with information they may have on this most recent murder.
“Any information, no matter how insignificant you may feel it is, will be followed up," he said. "Information like possible suspects’ names and descriptions, suspicious vehicles or anything out of the ordinary that may have caught one’s attention that day or evening."
Querrard is asking for anyone with information on this murder to call Major Crimes Detectives at 340-642-8449, 340-714-9202, the Chiefs Office at 340-715-5548 or the anonymous top service, Crimes Stoppers USVI, at 1-800-222-tips (8477).
Friday’s shooting death is the 11th homicide in the territory since the first of the year, the fifth on St. Thomas.
Mandahl, an area known for its tranquility, has been rocked by four homicides in the recent past. What has happened to incite this violence in an otherwise peaceful and harmonious residential community? Could it be the abandoned Inn at Mandahl owned by developer Mark J. Small, who has refused to board up or tear down the abandoned ruins of the structure which act as a harbor for crime and drug traffic?
Tom Bolt
St. Thomas, VI
These days it makes you wonder if his death was a result of an disgruntled employee or was he a witness to illegal activities in the territory. This wanton act of violence affects the community as a whole. Eventually, crime such as this, will impact tourism someday and we will be left wondering why criminals are biting off the hands that feed them.
This unthinkable crime has affected more than the St. Thomas community – it has broken the hearts of his family in the US, and hit home to his loving daughter’s friends, of whom I am one of. I pray the person responsible is caught and punished to the full extent of the law, though even that will never undo the harm inflicted upon Mr. O’Connell’s family.
Frankly, it is with a heavy heart that the person or persons involved in his death does not care if his family back in the U.S. is grieving his death. Do you really think that person or persons who killed Mr. Sean O’Connell thinks about how his daughter might feel losing her dad? Well, the sad truth is that this person has no conscience, doesn’t have nightmares about what he did and rather sleeps well at night. It’s business as usual and on to the next day. This killer has a different mindset. He doesn’t care at all, period. He does not have any remorse. Nor, will he show any remorse. It is not in him. He is a sub-human, below a genuine and kind human being. You know, in other words, he’s a full-fledged C-O-W-A-R-D. He kills to dictate that he is a man. On the contrary, it takes a real man to resolve any conflicts without resorting to violence. So, now you have proven yourself to be nothing but a complete coward instead of a real man. And that is the difference.
Bear in mind, if there is a correlation between the death of Mr. Sean O’Connell and the recently accused double murderer awaiting a new trial. Then, I suggest that the authorities look at his closest friend/friends who went to school with him and have been knowing him since he was eight years old. Frankly, ask him where he lived when he was that age. And go from there, but please verify what he says. Hopefully, that will assist in narrowing down a killer or killers with no conscience. I hope it all works out for the sake of this senseless murder on the rock.
Check out his former residence ,the year 1987-1989 at THE TOWERS APARTMENTS AND CONDOMINIUMS…..