Virginia NAACP Leader Shot to Death While Vacationing in Turks and Caicos

A respected NAACP leader was brutally killed during an attack when the car he was riding in was ambushed in Turks and Caicos.

On Sunday, as Kent Carter of Arlington, Virginia, was vacationing for his 40th birthday in the Turks and Caicos Islands, investigators say a gang-related shooting spree broke out in the Long Bay area of Providenciales, one of the primary tourist areas in the islands. Carter was a passenger in a vehicle that was carrying tourists and guides back from an excursion. That is when the violent gang randomly opened fire on the car. Carter, a tour guide, and one of the suspects were killed. Five other people, including another American tourist, were injured.

Carter was a respected member of his community, leading the local NAACP chapter as vice president and lending himself to various housing, education, and economic causes. He was also a well known real estate agent, veteran and devoted father. Julius D. Spain, president of the NAACP branch where Carter served, said there were no words to describe the immense amount of mourning that was taking place. Carter’s family, who was notified of his death on Tuesday, says they were not ready to make a public statement about his untimely passing. The NAACP branch in Arlington issued a statement, sending their condolences to Carter’s family.

“May God grant them strength during this time of sorrow,” the statement read.

Police Commissioner Trevor Botting says that Kent Carter nor the other victims were targeted. Instead, the rash of violence was a result of drug and turf wars. The investigation into the crime spree is ongoing.

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