An American tourist was reportedly ambushed and killed while vacationing on the Turks and Caicos Islands.
Kent Carter, the vice president of Arlington, Virginia, National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) branch, died after a group of men “indiscriminately” opened fire on his vehicle at 6 p.m., Commissioner of Police Trevor Botting said. The incident killed Carter and a local individual.
The three other passengers of the vehicle were injured in the incident, including another U.S. citizen, Botting said. The shooters were believed to be part of a violent gang.
“These criminals proceeded to indiscriminately shoot into the vehicle transporting the employees and tourists,” Botting said. “Our deepest condolences go out to the families of those murdered.”
Police then located the vehicle with the gang members and engaged them in a violent shootout, police said. One officer was seriously injured, but the shooters managed to escape. (RELATED: Young Police Officer Dies, Another Wounded After Shootout With Suspect At Missouri Motel 6)
Police have not currently made any arrests in connection to the incident, but are investigating the case, police said. They believe one of the gunmen died in the shootout, but that has not been confirmed, Fox 5 reported.
Photographs posted by the police force show the bullet holes smeared across the driver’s window of the police vehicle in the aftermath of the shootout.
Carter vacationed in the Turks and Caicos Islands to celebrate his 40th birthday, NBC 4 Washington reported. The victim was a father, veteran and volunteer in economic development education and housing issues.
The NAACP Arlington Branch mourned the loss of its member in a Monday Facebook post.
“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. Our deepest sympathies go out to his family,” the organization said. “May God grant them strength during this time of sorrow.”
“Words alone aren’t enough to say how much this hurts, how much we grieve right now,” Julius D. Spain, president of the NAACP branch, said, according to NBC 4 Washington.