Personal Injury Law

Cruise ship passenger visiting St. Thomas killed during gang shootout

By Lipcon, Margulies & Alsina, P.A.

A 14-year-old cruise ship passenger was killed Monday during a visit to St. Thomas when she reportedly was caught in the middle of a shootout between warring gangs.

The Associated Press reports the girl, Lizmarie Perez Chapparro, was struck by a bullet as she rode with her family on a "safari bus" that ferries tourists across the popular island destination.

The girl and her family arrived in St. Thomas aboard the 2,758-passenger Carnival Victory, which sails out of San Juan. Another cruise ship passenger sustained a minor injury during the shootout, the Associated Press reports.

Carnival spokeswoman Jennifer De La Cruz called the death an "unfathomable act of senseless violence" and said the line is suspending all excursions that include the St. Thomas neighborhood where the shooting took place until further notice, according to the Associated Press.

A St. Thomas teenager also was killed by the gunfire as he attended the funeral of another man fatally shot on June 29.

The tourist bus was hit by gunfire as it was traveling to Coki Point Beach, one of the island's most popular beaches.

Full post as published by Cruise Ship Law on July 13, 2010 (boomark / email).