-Help the Community Be Safe

by

Shakima a.k.a Kima

On January 6, 2012 a 30-year-old- man by the name of Kendall Petersen Jr. was shot dead while police were executing a search warrant at his home in St. Croix, Frederiksted. It was the territory’s first homicide of 2012, which occurred at the hands of a Virgin Islands police officer. http://virginislandsdailynews.com/news/man-shot-dead-by-police-outside-his-frederiksted-home-1.1253952#axzz1kfna1A5y

“During a brief phone interview Thursday afternoon, a distraught Kendall “Seigo” Petersen, the victim’s father, raised questions about the police account of the shooting and the circumstances surrounding the death of his son,” according to Joy Blackburn of the Daily News.

“ ‘All I know is that they kill my son. The police report that I hear is different from what I see,’ Petersen said,” in Blackburn’s article.

This issue upsets me because I know how the father feels losing someone unexpectedly because I have been through that experience already.

The other people who might be disturbed by this this issue are Petersen’s family members and close friends who feel it because of the bond they may have had between them.

A semi-automatic handgun “was recovered from the rear of the building. A waist holster which was located near the firearm was also taken into police custody,” according to the statement by Melody Rames, the spokeswoman of the Virgin Islands Police Department.

The article does not say whether or not Petersen was armed when police shot him.

“All of that is part of the investigation,” Rames said.

Officers took about three pounds of marijuana and a large amount of cash from the home, and the gun and holster will undergo forensic testing, according to police.”

In my opinion, Rames was letting the community know the facts about what happened because she may not want people to think the police officer shot Petersen Jr. just for shooting him. She would not want the community to think the Virgin Islands Police Department has bad officers which would give the department a bad name.

Kendall “Seigo” Petersen, however, feels his son was innocent and blames the Virgin Islands Police Department.

As a result of this issue, I think that Petersen’s family and close friends might look to take revenge on the Virgin Islands Police Department or take this case to court and try to sue the police officer that shot Petersen’s son.

We as a community need to come together as brothers and sisters. No one likes to hear when a family member or close friend passes away due to crime. When crimes happen, eyewitnesses should come forward and give details to the Police Department to make our community safer.