A realtor and NAACP leader was fatally shot while celebrating his birthday in Turks and Caicos in what police believe to have been a ‘targeted attack.’
via People:
Kent Carter, the 1st Vice President of the NAACP Arlington Branch, was riding in a car after going on an excursion on the island Sunday evening, when men pulled up in another vehicle and began to shoot, according to Fox 5 DC.
The shooting was one of a series of events that killed three people and injured five, Turks and Caicos police commissioner Trevor Botting said.
In an initial police update shared via Facebook, Botting said a local hospital was placed on lockdown and urged locals and tourists to stay away from the hospital unless it was an emergency, asking them to “Please remain calm.”
In a second press briefing issued Monday, Botting gave more details on the deadly shooting.
He said a car with employees who worked nearby and two tourists who had just left an excursion was “the first targeted attack” at 6 p.m. local time Sunday.
“It was committed by armed criminals in a vehicle. These criminals proceeded to indiscriminately shoot into the vehicle transporting the employees and the tourists. As a result of this attack, two persons were murdered, one from the local business and another being a tourist from the United States.”
He did not identify the victims, however, NAACP confirmed Carter, a father of one, was the person killed in the attack.
“NAACP Arlington Branch mourns the tragic and unexpected loss of our 1st Vice President, Kent Carter, who passed away Sunday, October 2, 2022, while vacationing abroad,” the organization said in a statement.
“Our deepest sympathies go out to his family. May God grant them strength during this time of sorrow.”
His girlfriend Alonia Williams spoke with Julius D. “JD” Spain, Sr., President of the NAACP Arlington Branch, and said she was with Carter when he was fatally shot, according to Fox 5 DC.
The couple was in Turks and Caicos for Carter’s birthday and had gone to the beach. They were returning to their hotel in a shuttle when the incident happened and Carter protected her by using his body as a shield.
Carter’s neighbor Robert York described him as “Just a really great, standup guy” to the outlet, adding, “One of the best neighbors you could have. He and his family, just really great neighbors. So this is just incredibly sad news.”
Carter was a former special agent and a veteran, the news station reported.
In his briefing, Botting said another attack also occurred after police “intercepted” the suspects’ car, causing the gunmen to open fire at officers with automatic weapons. The police car’s windshield and two tires were hit and damaged as two officers shot back “to protect themselves and their colleagues.”
One policeman was seriously injured and the suspects’ vehicle fled the scene.
In a third incident, one man showed up at the hospital with a head injury, Botting said. Police believe he was hit during officers’ exchange of gunfire with the suspects at a grocery store.
The body of a man who authorities suspect was one of the “armed attackers” was also found in a dockyard. Botting said it’s likely he was hit during the shootout with police, however, that hasn’t been confirmed and authorities are “actively investigating” that death.
Botting added, “I believe the original attack was targeted and carried out by gang members who acted without conscious, who had no regard for life, and who are hellbent on causing indiscriminate harm and misery across the [Turks and Caicos Islands].”
“This violence we know is linked to drug supply and is fueled by revenge, turf wars, and retribution,” Botting said before vowing that police “will defend themselves and the country to the fullest” against illegal violence.
It’s a sad situation. People typically don’t open fire on random vans in tourist areas — so we wonder if there’s any more to this story. Hopefully the local authorities do their jobs well and investigate.
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