She has been identified as 54-year-old Catherine Pickering who died less than 24 hours after sustaining gunshot wounds during an armed robbery outside her home in Paraquita Bay.

The Royal Virgin Islands Police Force has said they cannot give any details on how many times she was shot or where on her body she was wounded.

They’ve, however, said: “Initial reports indicate that a local businesswoman arrived home at Paraquita Bay around 7:30 pm with her day’s proceeds. Upon exiting her vehicle, she heard the voice of male demanding money. The mother of the businesswoman, who was at home at the time, heard a noise outside and attempted to exit the house and was shot.”

By BVI News’ tally, Pickering’s murder is at least the fifth since the start of the year.

She died on the same day Mark Collins was sworn in as the BVI’s new Commissioner of Police.

Commissioner Collins — who has more than 30 years of law enforcement experience and has held leadership positions such as Detective Superintendent in charge of the Extremism and Counter-Terrorism in Wales — said his main priority is tackling serious and organised crime in the territory.