Within the past week, several government agencies have been impacted by the coronavirus, to include the V.I. Legislature, the Election System of the V.I. in the St. Thomas-St. John District, the V.I. Department of Health and most recently the V.I. Department of Human Services. A release from the Elections System of the V.I. on Sunday stated that early voting continues to be suspended until further notice in the St. Thomas/ St. John district. Elections staff and officials are scheduled to be tested today. The Charlotte Amalie High School Temporary Cafeteria that housed the St. Thomas Elections Office and Early Voting Center was sanitized. The St. John office is scheduled to be sanitized on Tuesday. In addition, the St. Croix office is scheduled to be sanitized as a precautionary measure.
COVID-19 in the USVI by the Numbers: 4395 tested. 217 Pos. 4084 Neg. 94 Pending. 106 Recovered. 6 Deaths.
The Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms is offering a $10,000 reward for information on Thursday’s murders of 14-year old Aaron Ashby and his cousin, 29-year old Rique Ashby. The two were working with A-9 trucking, emptying a debris bin in the shuttered Tutu Hi-Rise housing community on Thursday, July 9, when they were shot and killed. They were the 14th and 15th homicide victims on St. Thomas this year, the 26th and 27th in the territory.
Police are investigating two separate shooting incidents that left two minors injured. On July 13 at around 2:07 a.m., the 911 Emergency Call Center received a report of a gunshot victim at the Juan F. Luis Hospital & Medical Center. Contact was made with a 15-year-old male who sustained a gunshot wound to his back that fractured his ribs. The victim was uncooperative, declining to give police any details about what happened. While police were at the hospital, a second gunshot victim, a 16-year-old male, was brought in with a gunshot wound to the right leg via private vehicle. That victim reported that he was sitting at a tree stump in the Harbor View Apartments complex when a masked gunman shot him and fled the area. A witness stated that the gunman was dressed in all black clothing. These incidents are under investigation. Anyone who knows what happened to lead to these shootings is asked to contact police by calling 911, the Crime TipLine at (340) 778-4950, or Crime Stoppers USVI at (800) 222-8477.
Governor Bryan reminded everyone that July 15, 2020 is the deadline to file taxes.