Daniel Carino, Frederiksted Shooting, USVI 2015

On December 19, 2015, Daniel Carino, 34, of St. Croix, Virgin Islands, turned a routine trash run into a bloodbath when he opened fire on a man at the Concordia garbage bin site in Frederiksted. The victim, shot point-blank in the chest during a heated argument, fought back with the ferocity of survival — wrestling the gun from Carino’s grip before the shooter fled in his vehicle.

A federal jury delivered justice on November 15, 2016, convicting Carino after a five-day trial on three brutal counts: possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, attempted murder, and third-degree assault. The verdict, handed down in St. Croix, marks a critical win for federal prosecutors in a region plagued by gun violence and street-level retribution.

Witnesses and forensic evidence painted a damning picture of the attack. Despite being wounded, the victim managed to disarm Carino before he sped off. While receiving emergency treatment, the victim identified Carino from a photo array — a crucial break that led police to track him down later that night at a local festival, where he was taken into custody without further incident.

Carino now stares down a wall of prison time. The firearm charge alone carries a mandatory minimum of ten years behind bars, with a maximum sentence of life imprisonment. On the attempted murder count, he faces up to 25 years; on third-degree assault, another 5 years. Fines could hit $250,000 on the gun charge and $3,000 on the assault conviction.

Sentencing is set for March 16, 2016. Until then, Carino remains locked up without bond, awaiting the court’s final judgment. The case underscores the federal government’s tightening grip on violent offenders in U.S. territories, where jurisdictional complexities often slow justice — but not this time.

The investigation was jointly led by the Virgin Islands Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alphonso Andrews, Jr. prosecuted the case, ensuring every charge stuck. For residents of St. Croix, the conviction sends a message: pull a trigger in anger, and the system will answer with steel and stone.