Retired V.I. Police Officer Ronald Hatcher was arrested Tuesday and charged in a fatal shooting that took place last September.
According to the V.I. Police Department, Hatcher, 69, surrendered himself to detectives from the Criminal Investigation Bureau pursuant to an arrest warrant about 6 a.m. Tuesday. Hatcher was held without bail and attended his advice of rights hearing at Superior Court the same day.
He is charged with second-degree murder.
On Sept. 26, 2013, Hatcher and the victim, 43-year-old Jose Edgardo Rivera Berrios, were involved in a confrontation near the Pucha Bar in Christiansted. Witnesses said Hatcher shot the victim at least once.
According to police reports at the time, officers were notified of the shooting about 10:15 p.m. when calls to the emergency dispatch center reported a man was holding another man at gunpoint and asking people in the area to call 911. Before units could arrive at the location, a caller told 911 that at least one shot had been fired.
When officers arrived they found Berrios lying on the ground. Emergency medical technicians on the scene said the victim was unresponsive. He was taken to the Juan F. Luis Memorial Hospital and pronounced dead by medical staff.
The report then said the suspected shooter cooperated with police, voluntarily surrendering his licensed firearm on the scene. No arrest was made at the time of the shooting.
After a week of rumor, the VIPD Public Information Officer Melody Rames confirmed the suspect in the shooting death was a retired officer, but declined to identify him.
On Tuesday, Rames confirmed that Hatcher was that suspect.
Sounds like the retired officer tried every conceivable way not to fire his firearm, until left with no other choice..
You know you can shoot someone without killing them, right? The officer could have shot him in the leg, in the arm, in the foot, etc. I hate technology, but all of this new technology is exposing the truth as to what police officers, politicians and government employees. There are cameras everywhere, so no one can hide from the truth anymore. Praise Jah!
Hatcher was a corrupt cop from long ago. He liked to either beat people with his baton or shoot first. Also would confiscate any drugs for personal use or sell it.
I don’t know him at all..Thanks for the input.
Police Officer are trained to shoot at center mass. That is the chest area on a individual. There is never a deviation from that in any Law Enforcement Agency. I hope I was able to clarify that for you.