A man was fatally shot early Friday morning when he and another man allegedly attempted to rob a St. Thomas convenience store, according to the V.I. Police Department.
Major Crime Unit detectives on St. Thomas are investigating the incident. It was the 10th homicide on St. Thomas since the beginning of the year, the 18th in the territory.
According to the police report, two men walked into the First Stop Gas Station and Convenience store, brandished handguns, attacked and threatened two men who were in the store.
Both victims had personally licensed firearms and were able to fire shots at the suspects. One suspect was killed and the second fled the area.
Police were notified of the incident at 1:47 a.m. Friday. The employees of the store told police each of them struggled with an armed robbery suspect and both victims fired shots.
Friday evening the police identified the victim as 23-year-old Felix Hector Fredimon.
The Criminal Investigation detectives are investigating the case.
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to include the name of the deceased.
What do you want to bet that these 2 robbers are the same 2 who robbed Nidal last week? We need more lawfully licensed gun owners defending themselves from the unlicensed gun owners to instill some fear in all of the would-be robbers rapists, murderers. That is what it will take to reduce crime on these islands.
Based on the information provided, I would’t refer to this incident as a homocide. Time will tell but I don’t think that word choice (or counting it against the total) is appropriate. Handgun death, yes. Homocide? Not yet evident.
We all understand that the police can not be everywhere. They need to be supported by the community and recognized for their selfless efforts to keep us safe. Additionally, a legally armed society will go a long way towards being a deterrent to armed criminal activity. It’s been all too easy for armed felons to take advantage of us in the past. This incident is a strong indicator that we have had enough of this behavior and will “Fight fire with fire”, if necessary. Public safety is the basic responsibility of all of us. Lead, follow or get out of the way!
Absolutely Agree! The Thugs get their boldness from knowing they have unarmed victims. Fighting back means fighting fire with fire. Licensed and trained individuals that will stand up to these cowards can make them think twice. Just common sense…. Criminals will always have guns. Law abiding citizens have the right to defend themselves.
exislandmanvi
It is a HOMICIDE. A man was killed, it may be and probably is a justifiable homicide. The article did not call it murder…