American shot in Turks and Caicos identified as beloved community leader from Virginia
An American tourist gunned down during a weekend ambush in the Turks and Caicos has been identified as a beloved community leader and father from Virginia.
Kent Carter was on his way back from an excursion in Long Bay on Sunday when the tourist shuttle he was traveling in was approached by several men armed with automatic weapons, according to Fox 5. The group suddenly “began to indiscriminately shoot into the vehicle,” fatally striking Carter and wounding another, Turks and Caicos Police Commissioner Trevor Botting said Tuesday.
“I believe the original attack was targeted and carried out by armed gang members who act without conscience, who have no regard for life,” he added.
Kent, a vice president of the NAACP Arlington Branch, was “well known for his dedication to, and uplifting of, our community,” the civil rights organization said. He’d been visiting the British overseas territory, made up of 40 coral islands in the Atlantic, to celebrate his recent 40th birthday.
“His civic work and volunteerism also extended throughout the broader Arlington community and with Keller Williams Realty and the Prince Hall Freemasons of Virginia,” the group continued. “Our deepest sympathies go out to his family. May God grant them strength during this time of sorrow.”
Authorities were able to locate the vehicle involved in the attack. Officers then traded gunfire with a group of suspects, at least one of who was killed in the exchange.
Carter, a veteran and accomplished real estate agent, leaves behind a young daughter. An investigation into his death is ongoing.
