Police clarify confusion surrounding social media post about victim of celebratory gunfire

A social media post showing the victim of New Year’s Eve celebratory gunfire appears to refer to an incident that may have occurred in LaGrange, Georgia, not in Estate La Grange on St. Croix.

The original social media post says, “When y’all out there shooting them guns in the air in Lagrange just know them bullets got to land somewhere.” The post includes several photos of a man with what appears to be a bullet lodged in his forehead, photos of a mushroomed bullet held in a woman’s hand, a screen shot of medical records, a sutured head wound, and the victim with a swollen forehead. The Daily News forwarded the post to V.I. Police spokesman Glen Dratte on Sunday and asked if there was any information available about the shooting.

Dratte responded in a text message, “St. Croix,” and a reporter sent several follow up questions about the age and condition of the victim, and asked for any other details about when and where the shooting occurred. Dratte responded, “I am checking on that Stand by.” The Daily News published an article Monday reporting that police had confirmed the shooting occurred, but did not provide any details, and efforts to contact the victim were unsuccessful. After the article was published, Dratte told The Daily News on Monday that there was no such shooting on St. Croix on New Year’s Eve.