According to St. Croix Police Chief Sidney Elskoe, a group in Grove Place that appeared united at one point has splintered into factions and are at war with each other, leading to the deadly shootings on St. Croix Friday that resulted in the death of two young men — one at HH Tire & Battery during the morning time and the other in Lorraine Village in Grove. Saturday afternoon Chief Elskoe, Police Commissioner Trevor Velinor, and other law enforcement officials provided an update on the crime situation and police efforts in combating the violence. Chief Elskoe spoke of two incidents leading up to the killings on Friday, which he said appear to be connected according to police investigations. He spoke of an incident that occurred on Thursday, July 23 at the Louis E. Brown Housing Community, where a man identified as 28-year-old Jonathan Fontanelle was shot and killed. Then on the same day at about 10:25 p.m., the 911 Emergency Call Center received reports of shots fired in the Upper Love area. Upon officers' arrival to the scene, they discovered that a man who was under house arrest for murder had been shot. As a result of his injuries, he had to be airlifted for treatment.
All six of the St. Croix lawmakers seeking re-election cleared the first hurdle, finishing in the top seven of the candidates. Three-term Senator Kurt Vialet from St. Croix was the top vote-getter in the primary race with 1,194 votes, followed by Senate President Novelle Francis with 1,097. Freshman Senator Donna Frett-Gregory took 1,249 votes to emerge as the top vote-getter in the St. Thomas-St. John district, followed by fellow freshman Athniel “Bobby” Thomas with 995 votes. Newcomer and former Division of Personnel Director Milton Potter placed third with 970 votes.