ST. CROIX — A 21-year-old man was shot and killed outside the Superior Court of the Virgin Islands on St. Croix Monday shortly after appearing before Judge Venetia Harvey Velazquez for sentencing in a firearms case, according to police, court records, and Attorney General Gordon Rhea.
Police identified the victim, through next of kin, as Angel Rodriguez III. Rhea confirmed that Rodriguez was shot to death outside the courthouse after his sentencing hearing had concluded in the afternoon.
Court records show Rodriguez had been scheduled to appear in Courtroom 203 at 9 a.m. for sentencing in a firearms case stemming from an arrest on St. Croix last year.
According to a court order, Rodriguez pleaded guilty on June 18 to one count of unauthorized possession of a firearm. The court deferred formal acceptance of the plea pending a pre-sentence report and set sentencing for Monday.
According to a probable cause fact sheet filed by Police Officer Jahreem Williams, the case began on October 14, 2025, when officers responded to a 911 call reporting a man openly carrying a firearm near the Suds and Duds Laundromat in Peter’s Rest. Officers located a man matching the caller’s description, later identified as Rodriguez, who attempted to flee through the laundromat’s entrance before being detained by responding officers.
Officers reported finding a black 9mm handgun in Rodriguez’s waistband, fitted with what the fact sheet described as an automatic conversion device known as a “Sear Chip.” The weapon held a loaded 18-round magazine plus one round in the chamber, and a second magazine with 17 additional rounds was found on Rodriguez, according to the document.
The probable cause fact sheet also states that the vehicle Rodriguez had been driving, a red 2007 Lexus LS 250, was uninsured, unregistered, and displaying a license plate registered to a different vehicle, a Ford F-150. Rodriguez did not have a valid Virgin Islands driver’s license.
Rodriguez was read his Miranda rights and arrested. A supervisor with the St. Croix District Firearms Bureau confirmed he was not authorized to carry a firearm or ammunition in the territory, the document states. He was booked and, unable to post the $50,000 bail set in the case, was remanded to the John A. Bell Adult Correctional Facility pending his advice-of-rights hearing.
Court records note that Rodriguez had no prior criminal record on file at the time of his arrest. He was initially charged with six offenses: unauthorized possession of a firearm, possession of ammunition, operating an unregistered vehicle, operating a vehicle without proof of insurance, operating a vehicle without a valid driver’s license, and unlawfully transferring license plates.
Under a plea agreement reached with the Office of the Attorney General, Rodriguez agreed to plead guilty to the firearm possession count in exchange for the dismissal of the remaining charges. The agreement, signed by Assistant Attorney General Jasmine Griffin along with Rodriguez and his attorney, former Territorial Public Defender Dwayne Henry, called for prosecutors to recommend a 10-year sentence, fully suspended, followed by two years of supervised probation. Prosecutors also agreed not to object to Rodriguez seeking probation without conviction under the Virgin Islands Code, Title 5, Section 3711(c).
Henry, who has since retired from the Office of the Territorial Public Defender, said he had just spoken to his former client over the weekend.
“It was very devastating to me,” Henry said.
The VIPD issued a poster on July 26 that Rodriguez was wanted for homicide. The wanted poster was issued the same day police officer Eustace Charles was killed during an early-morning shooting in Estate Williams Delight.
“The implication was that he had something to do with the murder of officer Eustace Charles,” Henry said.
After the wanted poster circulated, Henry said Rodriguez called him. Henry said he encouraged Rodriguez to turn himself in.
“They interviewed him and they released him,” Henry said, adding that the information police received regarding Rodriguez was unfounded. “He was not even on island.”
Following his arrest last year, Henry said Rodriguez moved to St. Thomas. He said Rodriguez traveled to St. Croix for Monday’s sentencing hearing. After police cleared Rodriguez from being wanted for homicide, Henry said Rodriguez asked him if the VIPD would issue a statement clarifying that he was no longer wanted.
WTJX did not find any statement clarifying that Rodriguez was no longer wanted.
After concluding his sentencing, Rodriquez got in his vehicle and as he was driving through the exit of the courthouse parking lot, he was shot. Officers arrived at the scene after 911 received reports of shots fired at 2:06 p.m. and found Rodriguez unresponsive. Emergency Medical Services confirmed he had died of his injuries.
The Criminal Investigation Bureau is investigating Rodriguez’s death as a homicide. No arrests have been announced. Police are asking anyone with information to call 911, CIB at 340-778-2211, or Crime Stoppers VI at 1-800-222-8477.
