Gunfire in Frederiksted Sends Victim to JFL, Triggers Hospital Lockdown and Police Investigation

Police are investigating a shooting incident in Frederiksted after a gunshot victim arrived at the Juan F. Luis Hospital on Wednesday morning, prompting a brief lockdown of the medical facility and a parallel investigation into reports of multiple rounds fired.

According to information provided to the 911 Emergency Call Center, hospital personnel reported shortly after 9:30 a.m. on December 31, that a gunshot victim had been brought to the Emergency Room by private vehicle. Around the same time, 911 dispatchers received radio transmissions from Emergency Medical Services and multiple calls from residents reporting numerous gunshots in the area of Hospital Street in Frederiksted.

Law enforcement officials confirmed that the ShotSpotter system detected approximately 30 rounds fired in the same location, corroborating reports received from the public.

During the preliminary phase of the investigation, detectives said the victim was uncooperative, limiting the information immediately available to investigators.

In response to the situation, the Juan F. Luis Hospital and Medical Center announced that it had been placed under lockdown as a precautionary measure. Hospital officials said visitation was restricted and access to the facility limited to emergency cases only.

“For the safety of patients, staff, and visitors, visitation is restricted and access to the facility is limited unless it is an emergency,” the hospital stated. 

VIPD Director of Communications Glen Dratte confirmed that the shooting was not connected to J’Ouvert Morning activities, which concluded earlier without serious incident. Dratte said J’Ouvert Morning 2025 was incident-free and thanked the community for its cooperation.

“There were a few incidents of excessive drinking during the festival, but otherwise, it was incident-free,” Dratte said, stressing that the shooting occurred later in the day on the opposite side of town and was unrelated to festival events.

The V.I. Department and the Criminal Investigation Bureau remain actively engaged in the investigation. Authorities are asking anyone with information related to the shooting to contact the Criminal Investigation Bureau at 340-778-2211, call 911, or reach Crime Stoppers VI at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS).