St. Thomas Tourist Killed By Stray Bullet, Island Increases Security

St. Thomas police say they will increase patrols at tourist attractions around the island following last week's killing of a 14-year old cruise ship passenger, according to the Associated Press.

Last week, Lizmarie Perez Chaparro was killed by the cross fire of a gang gunfight while she was riding in an open-air bus at Coki Point Beach.

A St. Thomas man has been charged with murder in the gunfire that also killed an 18-year-old man. Police Commissioner Novelle E. Francis says foot, bike and scooter patrols will be boosted around areas popular with visitors.

Comments

[kel]

09:59 AM on 07/26/2010

I have heard it is very dangerous. 18 years ago we married on this Island. A few of our guests plane was late so they stopped at a local Burger King (BK lounge) the driver said he'd escort them in as after dark this particular area was unsafe to locals let alone tourists.
Our wedding planner (a guy and his wife) left MI to live in Paradise he said the locals don't take to kindly to the mainland folks and often the police pull you over and ticket you for no good cause.
(But our marriage is still strong).

[GerryS]

11:38 PM on 07/25/2010

condolences to the family------

[cirrus7]

08:21 AM on 07/24/2010

From travel.state.gov website - MEXICO: "Also in Monterrey, DTOs have kidnapped guests out of reputable hotels in the downtown area..." (DTO = Drug Trafficking Org) and later states most kidnappings "unresolved".

[CaveatLector]

07:16 AM on 07/24/2010

St. Thomas is a dangerous place. A dear friend of mine was killed their 3 years ago; he was staying at a Best Western near the airport and an intruder broke into his ground-floor room around midnight and shot him in the stomach. He bled out on the floor. The police are useless; they didn't even try to investigate the crime and his poor family here in the States has not been able to make any headway. Stay away from this place.

[alexii]

11:19 AM on 07/25/2010

OMG That's so terrible. I'm so very sorry for your friend's family and your loss.
Condolences also to the families of the 2 people killed in the airbus.

[TStringfellow]

05:39 PM on 07/26/2010

Similar stories take place in the United States every day. Do you also advise people to "stay away from this place"?

It's terrible what happened to your friend but please understand that you live in one of the most violent nations on earth, to advise people to avoid St. Thomas while living in the U.S. reeks of hypocrisy.

[Steelsil]

11:19 PM on 07/23/2010

The USVI has criminal drug gangs that engage in drive by shoot outs? Even more bitterly ironic, the girl who died was from Puerto Rico, which I had thought far more likely to be dangerous.

[CaveatLector]

07:18 AM on 07/24/2010

Yes, they do. People thing because they are US territories that they are safe, but they're not. If you want to stay completely safe while vacationing in the Caribbean, don't ever leave your hotel...but sometime even THAT isn't enough (see my post above.)

[TStringfellow]

05:41 PM on 07/26/2010

You're never completely safe, anywhere. You're an American, you live in a nation with one of the highest rates of gun violence in the world, and you're criticizing violence in the Carribbean? What hypocrisy!

[aardvark13]

11:59 PM on 07/25/2010

The police there must be useless. With a population as small as it is there and they can stop the crime there is definitely something wrong. The 'word' of the people involved in any crime there must be known in hours!