Shooting Near Popular St. Thomas Snorkeling Site

Gang-related shoot out at Coki Beach, St. Thomas

(Dive Travel Business News - July 17, 2010) -- Carnival Cruise Lines has suspended all excursions that include the Coki Beach area on St. Thomas, after a 14-year-old female passenger from the Carnival Victory was killed by a stray bullet in a gang related shoot-out on Monday July 13, 2010.

Pending further investigation by local authorities, NCL, Princess and Royal Caribbean cruise lines have followed suit canceling shore excurtions to Coki Beach. Celebrity Cruise Lines cancelled its Coral Land and Coral Sea shore excursion, which passes through the area where the incident took place. All cruise lines advise those who have planned independent excursions to St. Thomas to avoid Coki Beach and Coral World aquarium locations. Coki Beach is a popular snorkeling site on the island next to the Coral World Marine Park.

The 14-year-old victim from Puerto Rican was killed while riding with her family in an open-air safari bus en route to the beach. Gunfire erupted at a cemetery next to Coki Beach during a funeral service for a man shot to death in late June, and the girl was caught in the crossfire. An 18-year-old male, not from the cruise ship, also was shot and killed. Another Carnival Victory passenger sustained a minor injury in the incident and has been treated and released from a local hospital.

Beverly Nicholson-Doty, the USVI’s tourism commissioner, said, "This isolated incident against one of our visitors is not at all representative of our destination. The destination remains committed to ensuring a safe environment for guests to the territory."

Meanwhile, the main suspect in the crime turned himself in to police on Tuesday, according to police reports. Three persons of interest picked up at the crime scene Monday were released, but police expect more arrests.

St. Thomas has long struggled with crime, much in the same way big cities throughout the United States do. The difference here, though, is that St. Thomas is marketed as America's "paradise." And while it may surprise some travelers to find out St. Thomas is far from paradise these days, rest assured its problems are no secret to residents, politicians, travel agents and cruise line executives.

A scan of local headlines (and recent press releases on the USVI Police Department's Web site, on topics ranging from drug and weapons arrests to domestic violence) demonstrates that crime can be an issue outside tourist areas. Monday's shooting was a rarity but it changes the game: The shootout occurred in broad daylight, not far from a major -- and packed -- tourist area.

What happens next for tourism to St. Thomas largely depends on the response of tourism officials and law enforcement authorities to battle crime and keep their destination safe for tourists. USVI Tourism's crisis communications plan is in full swing, with prepped representatives talking to media along with the activation of the department's crisis communications website USVI Update. Police have stepped up foot patrols at Coki Beach and in town and have increased mobile patrols other areas frequented by tourists. Murder suspect Steve Tyson has been denied bail on first degree murder and other charges.

Monday’s shooting brings to 44 the number of homicides in the U.S. Virgin Islands for 2010, according to statistics compiled by the St. Thomas Source from police reports. The destination has grappled with a rise in gang-related violence for several years. In 2009, there were 56 homicides in the USVI, up from 40 in 2008 and 44 in 2007.

Additional Sources: Cruise Critic Virgin Islands Daily News USVI Update

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Saturday, July 17, 2010

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