A man who sustained a gunshot wound presented himself to the Dr. D. Orlando Smith Hospital on Sunday, April 26, and was treated and later discharged, authorities said.

The Royal Virgin Islands Police Force said the injury is linked to a shooting reported after 7 p.m. in the Vanterpool Estate area.

Officers responded to reports of gunfire and processed the scene, where evidence was recovered. No injured persons were initially found at the location, police said.

The man later sought medical attention on his own with what appeared to be a gunshot wound.

Police said the investigation remains active and ongoing.

Authorities are appealing to anyone with information to contact the RVIPF Intelligence Unit at 368-9339 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 800-8477.

Photo credit: Moskito Island.

The British Virgin Islands has been named Best Luxury Destination in the Caribbean in Modern Luxury’s 2026 Travel Awards, according to an announcement on April 24 by the British Virgin Islands Tourist Board & Film Commission and its Director of Tourism, Clive McCoy.

The recognition, presented by Modern Luxury, a United States-based luxury lifestyle media company, follows the territory’s designation as the publication’s Hottest Destination of the Year in 2025. Winners of the 2026 awards are scheduled to appear in the May 2026 print issue.

“We are proud to once again be recognized by Modern Luxury, this time as the Best Luxury Destination in the Caribbean,” Mr. McCoy said. “These awards speak to the consistency of our product and the authentic, high-quality experiences that define the BVI.”

The annual awards highlight destinations, properties and experiences in global travel, with a focus on high-end tourism. Officials said the latest recognition reflects the British Virgin Islands’ continued appeal to travelers seeking sailing, villa accommodations and resort experiences.

In 2025, the territory also received recognition when Oil Nut Bay’s Quintessa Villa was named Best Private Villa in the Caribbean by the same publication.

Tourism officials said the award adds to a series of recent acknowledgments from international outlets, including U.S. News & World Report, Caribbean Journal and USA Today’s Readers’ Choice Awards, which have ranked the destination and its tourism partners in various categories.

The British Virgin Islands, an archipelago of about 60 islands and cays in the northeastern Caribbean, has long marketed itself as a leading sailing destination and continues to promote its tourism offerings to international visitors.

Benito Wheatley, the British Virgin Islands Special Envoy, and José Manuel Salazar-Xirinachs, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean, urged closer cooperation between the Caribbean and Latin America to accelerate progress on sustainable development goals during a regional forum in Santiago, Chile.

The meeting took place during the 9th Meeting of the Forum of the Countries of Latin America and the Caribbean on Sustainable Development, held April 13 to April 16 in Santiago.

Both officials noted that implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals stands at 19 percent, with four years remaining before the 2030 deadline, underscoring the need for increased coordination and investment across the region.

Mr. Wheatley, speaking in his capacity as vice chair of the 40th session of the commission, commended the organization’s work on development challenges and policies aimed at advancing economic and social outcomes. He emphasized the need to strengthen technical cooperation between Latin America and the Caribbean, particularly in resilience, investment and technology, citing fiscal constraints driven by debt and responses to external shocks.

Mr. Salazar-Xirinachs reaffirmed the commission’s support for the sustainable development of the British Virgin Islands and the wider Caribbean, noting that small island developing states, while largely middle-income, remain vulnerable to external economic and environmental shocks and require continued international support.

He also commended the British Virgin Islands for its role at the forum, including its leadership of a Caribbean panel moderated by Mr. Wheatley in his capacity as vice chair of the Caribbean Development and Cooperation Committee. The panel focused on implementing the Antigua and Barbuda Agenda for Small Island Developing States through South-South cooperation.

Mr. Wheatley reiterated the territory’s commitment to the 2030 Agenda and to advancing regional priorities, including climate resilience.

“Through our various leadership roles within U.N. ECLAC, the British Virgin Islands will continue to advocate for the Caribbean to ensure the subregion’s priorities, including climate resilience, are taken into account in the intergovernmental deliberations of the wider region on the 2030 Agenda,” he said, adding that greater collaboration between the Caribbean and Latin America would be necessary to advance the goals within the remaining timeframe.