156:
was planned by at least one of the perpetrators. Joseph and
Ballentine testified at trial that they had expected only to commit a robbery but that things got out of hand because LaBeet was adamant that they also make "a political statement"; LaBeet told them "he was angry about foreigners coming in to take our money and leaving us with nothing." According to Joseph, during the robbery LaBeet suddenly began shooting people, while yelling epithets like "I hate you white motherfuckers!"
242:
Joseph received a pardon from the governor of the U.S. Virgin
Islands in 1994 after 22 years' imprisonment, but died four years later of a drug overdose. The other three served 29 years in federal prison before being returned to Virgin Islands custody and then retransferred to private prisons in the
155:
The perpetrators were five Virgin
Islanders, Ishmael LaBeet, Beaumont Gereau, Meral Smith, Warren Ballentine, and Raphael Joseph. Authorities initially believed the five had committed the execution-style shootings in the course of a robbery gone bad, but later developments suggested that the killing
202:
The public's perception of a racial motivation for the killings and fear of further violence led to a steep decline in tourism to St. Croix, from which the island's tourism industry only recovered decades later.
206:
American musician
Sherman Kelly has claimed he was assaulted by some of the same perpetrators three years before the Fountain Valley shooting. While recovering from the assault, Kelly wrote the song "
635:
620:
625:
233:
in 2015, LaBeet was confirmed to be living at large in Cuba following an indeterminate amount of time spent in a Cuban prison. He was the subject of the 2016 documentary film
610:
605:
600:
168:, a federal territorial court, on multiple charges of murder, assault, and robbery under Virgin Islands law. Each was sentenced to eight consecutive life terms. Led by
180:, the defense at trial argued in part that the accused were politically motivated victims of systematic race-based civil rights deprivation; all the defendants were
645:
487:
188:
595:
46:
640:
225:
while in federal custody on a transfer to a new place of detention, using a handgun stashed in a lavatory. He forced the pilot to land the plane in
655:
650:
210:" to imagine "an alternate reality, the dream of a peaceful and joyful celebration of life." The song, released in 1970, later became a hit for
269:
165:
458:
331:
615:
309:
244:
144:
31:
590:
39:
630:
222:
207:
235:
147:. The incident left eight resort employees and tourists dead. Another eight were either shot at or wounded.
383:
519:
492:
514:
463:
357:
305:
177:
173:
143:
that occurred on the afternoon of 6 September 1972 at the
Fountain Valley Golf Course in
248:
181:
533:
409:
584:
140:
91:
226:
211:
169:
129:
Ishmael LaBeet, Beaumont Gereau, Meral Smith, Warren
Ballentine, and Raphael Joseph
230:
229:, where LaBeet escaped. He was never recaptured by U.S. authorities. With the
221:
On 31 December 1984, LaBeet (then calling himself Ismail Muslim Ali) hijacked
61:
48:
215:
191:, which subsequently also upheld the denial of motions for a new trial.
95:
435:
488:"Cuban Diary: Fountain Valley Killer LaBeet Alive and Well in Cuba"
459:"NEW YORK-BOUND FLIGHT HIJACKED TO CUBA BY CONVICTED MURDERER"
194:
LaBeet has since denied any involvement in the 1972 shooting.
164:
All five defendants were convicted after a jury trial in the
16:
Mass shooting in St. Croix, US Virgin
Islands in 1972
636:
Racially motivated violence against white
Americans
559:
243:U.S. As of 2022, they remained incarcerated at the
125:
117:
109:
101:
85:
77:
38:
26:
21:
384:"Gov't of Virgin Islands v. Gereau (523 F.2d 140)"
358:"Gov't of Virgin Islands v. Gereau (502 F.2d 914)"
621:Mass murder in insular areas of the United States
515:"'The Skyjacker's Tale': Film Review | TIFF 2016"
332:"FOUNTAIN VALLEY PUT V.I. IN UNWANTED SPOTLIGHT"
325:
323:
321:
270:"30 YEARS AFTER MASSACRE, LABEET'S FATE UNKNOWN"
184:, while seven of the eight victims were white.
295:
293:
291:
626:Mass murder in the United States in the 1970s
187:The convictions were affirmed in 1974 by the
8:
189:U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
611:Events in the United States Virgin Islands
606:Crimes in the United States Virgin Islands
304:. Strategic Book Publishing & Rights.
18:
496:. St. Croix, United States Virgin Islands
338:. St, Croix, United States Virgin Islands
330:Greaux, Jr., Jean P. (6 September 2002).
276:. St. Croix, United States Virgin Islands
601:1972 in the United States Virgin Islands
260:
646:September 1972 events in North America
7:
540:. Philadelphia Anarchist Black Cross
416:. Philadelphia Anarchist Black Cross
166:District Court of the Virgin Islands
486:Pennington, Shaun (23 April 2015).
231:thawing of Cuban–American relations
14:
596:1972 murders in the United States
641:Saint Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands
245:Citrus County Detention Facility
364:. Gauge Data Solutions Pvt. Ltd
656:Robberies in the United States
651:Massacres in the United States
457:Kerr, Peter (1 January 1985).
145:St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands
1:
268:Day, Jim (6 September 2002).
30:Fountain Valley Golf Course,
223:American Airlines Flight 626
300:Joseph, Michael A. (2014).
672:
616:Attacks on sports venues
208:Dancing in the Moonlight
137:Fountain Valley massacre
22:Fountain Valley massacre
520:The Hollywood Reporter
523:, September 11, 2016.
160:Trial and convictions
62:17.74194°N 64.81444°W
34:, U.S. Virgin Islands
467:. New York, New York
302:Fountain Valley 1972
236:The Skyjacker's Tale
591:Attacks on tourists
538:Prisoner Solidarity
414:Prisoner Solidarity
67:17.74194; -64.81444
58: /
534:"Virgin Islands 3"
464:The New York Times
410:"Virgin Islands 3"
631:Massacres in 1972
178:Chauncey Eskridge
172:activist lawyers
133:
132:
663:
575:
574:
572:
570:
560:"About the Case"
556:
550:
549:
547:
545:
530:
524:
512:
506:
505:
503:
501:
493:St. Croix Source
483:
477:
476:
474:
472:
454:
448:
447:
445:
443:
432:
426:
425:
423:
421:
406:
400:
399:
397:
395:
380:
374:
373:
371:
369:
354:
348:
347:
345:
343:
336:St. Croix Source
327:
316:
315:
297:
286:
285:
283:
281:
274:St. Croix Source
265:
174:William Kunstler
81:6 September 1972
73:
72:
70:
69:
68:
63:
59:
56:
55:
54:
51:
19:
671:
670:
666:
665:
664:
662:
661:
660:
581:
580:
579:
578:
568:
566:
564:Virgin Island 3
558:
557:
553:
543:
541:
532:
531:
527:
513:
509:
499:
497:
485:
484:
480:
470:
468:
456:
455:
451:
441:
439:
438:. Sherman Kelly
436:"Sherman Kelly"
434:
433:
429:
419:
417:
408:
407:
403:
393:
391:
382:
381:
377:
367:
365:
356:
355:
351:
341:
339:
329:
328:
319:
312:
299:
298:
289:
279:
277:
267:
266:
262:
257:
200:
162:
153:
88:
66:
64:
60:
57:
52:
49:
47:
45:
44:
17:
12:
11:
5:
669:
667:
659:
658:
653:
648:
643:
638:
633:
628:
623:
618:
613:
608:
603:
598:
593:
583:
582:
577:
576:
551:
525:
507:
478:
449:
427:
401:
375:
349:
317:
310:
287:
259:
258:
256:
253:
249:Tampa, Florida
214:and again for
199:
196:
182:Afro-Caribbean
161:
158:
152:
149:
131:
130:
127:
123:
122:
119:
115:
114:
111:
107:
106:
103:
99:
98:
89:
86:
83:
82:
79:
75:
74:
42:
36:
35:
28:
24:
23:
15:
13:
10:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
668:
657:
654:
652:
649:
647:
644:
642:
639:
637:
634:
632:
629:
627:
624:
622:
619:
617:
614:
612:
609:
607:
604:
602:
599:
597:
594:
592:
589:
588:
586:
565:
561:
555:
552:
539:
535:
529:
526:
522:
521:
516:
511:
508:
495:
494:
489:
482:
479:
466:
465:
460:
453:
450:
437:
431:
428:
415:
411:
405:
402:
389:
388:Justia US Law
385:
379:
376:
363:
359:
353:
350:
337:
333:
326:
324:
322:
318:
313:
311:9781628579840
307:
303:
296:
294:
292:
288:
275:
271:
264:
261:
254:
252:
250:
246:
240:
238:
237:
232:
228:
224:
219:
217:
213:
209:
204:
197:
195:
192:
190:
185:
183:
179:
175:
171:
167:
159:
157:
150:
148:
146:
142:
141:mass shooting
138:
128:
124:
120:
116:
112:
108:
104:
100:
97:
93:
92:Mass shooting
90:
84:
80:
76:
71:
43:
41:
37:
33:
29:
25:
20:
567:. Retrieved
563:
554:
542:. Retrieved
537:
528:
518:
510:
498:. Retrieved
491:
481:
469:. Retrieved
462:
452:
442:December 27,
440:. Retrieved
430:
418:. Retrieved
413:
404:
392:. Retrieved
387:
378:
366:. Retrieved
361:
352:
340:. Retrieved
335:
301:
278:. Retrieved
273:
263:
241:
234:
227:Havana, Cuba
220:
212:King Harvest
205:
201:
193:
186:
170:civil rights
163:
154:
136:
134:
126:Perpetrators
544:19 December
471:26 November
420:19 December
394:19 December
368:19 December
342:26 November
280:26 November
247:, north of
87:Attack type
65: /
40:Coordinates
585:Categories
255:References
53:64°48′52″W
50:17°44′31″N
569:4 January
216:Toploader
198:Aftermath
32:St. Croix
500:24 April
390:. Justia
362:Casemine
151:Massacre
105:Firearms
27:Location
118:Injured
102:Weapons
96:robbery
308:
139:was a
110:Deaths
571:2024
546:2021
502:2015
473:2014
444:2019
422:2021
396:2021
370:2021
344:2014
306:ISBN
282:2014
176:and
135:The
78:Date
587::
562:.
536:.
517:.
490:.
461:.
412:.
386:.
360:.
334:.
320:^
290:^
272:.
251:.
239:.
218:.
94:,
573:.
548:.
504:.
475:.
446:.
424:.
398:.
372:.
346:.
314:.
284:.
121:8
113:8
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.