Shakhoy Penn Charged Over Illegal Glock
A Glock 17 and 21 rounds of 9mm ammunition were recovered after a rapid police response in Road Town on May 29, 2026. Shakhoy Penn remains in custody and faces charges as the seizure marks the Royal Virgin Islands Police Force's eighth illegal firearm recovery this year.
The Royal Virgin Islands Police Force (RVIPF) says a man has been charged after officers recovered a Glock 17 handgun and ammunition during a stop in Road Town on May 29, 2026. In a press release dated June 4, 2026, police reported that officers in the vicinity responded quickly to reports of suspected gunfire.
They detained a male acting suspiciously, searched him and found a Glock 17 fitted with an extended magazine loaded with 21 rounds of 9mm ammunition. The firearm was secured and the suspect, identified as Shakhoy Penn, was arrested and taken into custody. Penn remains in custody awaiting his appearance at the Magistrate's Court.
This seizure is the eighth illegal firearm recovered by the RVIPF so far this year. According to the Force, officers recovered two firearms in January, two in March, one in April and three in May. Some of those recoveries led to arrests and publicised charges, while others were the result of proactive policing operations where no suspect was identified at the time of seizure.
Acting Commissioner of Police Jacqueline E. Vanterpool praised the officers involved and reiterated the Force’s broader goal of removing illegal weapons from the Territory. "Every firearm removed from circulation represents a potential act of violence prevented," she said, noting particular concern that some recovered weapons had been modified to operate as automatic firearms.
She also urged community members to continue sharing information with police, stressing that public support is vital to combating gun-related crime. For residents, the latest arrest underlines the RVIPF’s focus on rapid response and intelligence-led operations in populated areas such as Road Town.
The Force says these recoveries reduce the risk of serious violence and help maintain public safety across the British Virgin Islands. Anyone with information about illegal firearms or related criminal activity is asked to contact the RVIPF Intelligence Unit at 368-9339, the anonymous Crime Stoppers hotline at 800-8477 (TIPS) or from overseas at 284-800-8477.
The RVIPF continues to encourage timely tips to assist ongoing investigations and prosecutions.
Primary source: VINO