VIPD Commissioner Ray Martinez Personally Assists in Apprehending Murder Suspect on St. Thomas

By Adian Brewer,

Published March 5, 2024 at 6:13 PM AST

Murder suspect Mohammed Salem is loaded into a police vehicle by VIPD following an hours-long manhunt in the waters off Hull Bay, on the Northside of St. Thomas.

ST. THOMAS – A man suspected of stabbing his father to death is in custody following a manhunt Tuesday on St. Thomas.

Mohammed Salem, believed to be 32 years old, was charged with murder for allegedly killing his father, 69-year-old Jamil Hakem Salem.

He was arrested Tuesday following a pursuit that ended in a standoff between him and the Virgin Islands Police Department in the waters east of Hull Bay’s Tropaco Point.

Police Commissioner Ray Martinez said officers were dispatched to the lower Lerkenlund area on the northside of St. Thomas following a 911 call placed at about 7:45 a.m. Tuesday morning reporting an assault victim.

Neighbors told WTJX they overheard shouting coming from the victim’s residence located near the Ali Baba Mini Mart, formerly known as E&M Grocery, at about 7:15 a.m. They said the shouting then intensified at about 7:40 a.m.

VIPD were dispatched to a residence in Lower Lerkenlund, on the Northside of St. Thomas early Tuesday morning.

“Responding officers encountered an elderly male who was stabbed several times and succumbed to his injuries,” Martinez told WTJX reporters at Hull Bay. “We learned quickly that the suspect may have been his son.”

The Virgin Islands Medical Examiner leaves the scene of the crime Tuesday morning with the body of Jamil Hakem Salem, 70, who was stabbed to death at a residence in Lower Lerkenlund.

A manhunt was instituted, with police informing the community that the suspect was armed and dangerous. Joseph Sibilly Elementary School, located on the northside, was put under lockdown during the manhunt and the VIPD urged citizens to call in tips.

VIPD instituted a manhunt on Tuesday morning to locate Mohammed Salem, who fled the scene of the crime after allegedly stabbing his father to death.

Mohammed Salem evaded officers for several hours before residents of the Hull Bay area reported seeing him in the area, according to Martinez. The tips led police to Hull Bay beach, where the suspect fled to a remote beach before swimming to the east side of the point.

“Our marine assets along with very good citizens from the Hull Bay area took our team out there and we were able to apprehend this young man after several hours in the water,” said Martinez, who accompanied VIPD on the water and assisted in bringing the suspect to shore.

Police Commissioner Ray Martinez and other VIPD officers board the vessel of a resident of the Hull Bay area, who assisted in locating Salem before VIPD boats were able to make it to the scene.

Upon reaching the suspect who stood on shallow reef, the police commissioner said Mohammed Salem was brandishing a knife and yelling in Arabic.

“We coached him for quite some time, tried to talk him down and get him into the vessel,” Martinez said. “After an hour, hour and a half he came towards the vessel and we were able to apprehend him.”

Gunshots were also dispatched during the encounter, however a reason as to why has not yet been given by VIPD, according to Martinez. Bystanders said the shots were fired as a warning to the suspect, who refused to put down the knife as officers attempted to load him into the boat.

Mohammd Salem is escorted out of the water by VIPD officers at approximately 12:30 p.m. on Tuesday afternoon, before being loaded into a police vehicle. — Mohammed Salem is escorted out of the water by VIPD officers at approximately 12:30 p.m. on Tuesday afternoon, before being loaded into a police vehicle.

Mohammed Salem was charged with the attempted murder of his father in 2018. He pleaded no contest to a charge of third-degree assault, and domestic violence under a plea agreement at a hearing in 2019. He was sentenced to five years before being paroled in 2020, according to news sources.