A corrections officer from Chicago was killed by a stray bullet while vacationing in Turks and Caicos over the weekend.
Shamone A. Duncan, 50, was celebrating her sister’s birthday at the Aziza Restaurant & Lounge in Providenciales on Saturday when gunfire rang out around 10 p.m. and she was struck, her family said in a statement shared with multiple media outlets.
Duncan and her family were on the rooftop of the popular establishment, not far from the Grace Bay Suites where they were staying, when the shooting happened.
The Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force confirmed to multiple news outlets that Duncan, as well as 30-year-old Dario Stubbs, a Turks and Caicos resident, were both fatally shot. A third person, a 29-year-old man, was injured in the shooting, they said.
Acting Police Commissioner Rodney Adams said in statement: “There is no evidence to suggest that Ms. Duncan, Mr. Stubbs or the wounded victim were the targets of this incident. We condemn this violence and will remain resolute in our pursuit of the person(s) responsible for this despicable act.”
What was supposed to be a weekend of celebration left the family of Duncan, a 21-year-old veteran of the Cook County Department of Corrections in Chicago, in mourning.
“People started yelling, telling people to get down,” her only son, Shamon Payton, told ABC7. “‘Everybody got down,’ and my mom got up. And then, she got hit... Bystanders came and they tried to help.”
Duncan was “a devoted mother, grandmother,” her family said in a statement, adding that her tragic death has left both “her family and community in deep mourning.”
“I lost a lot of people, and it just feels different with it being your mother, the person who birthed you,” Paytom said “You only get one mother, one father. I lost the one.”
A statement from her family stated that Duncan’s family “was her greatest joy, and her presence will be deeply missed by all who knew and loved her” and that she was dedicated to her job.
“Her 21 years of service as Cook County Sheriff were a testament to her unwavering dedication to justice and her passion for protecting others. She was a beacon of strength, compassion, and leadership, touching countless lives in her community and beyond.”
The sheriff’s office also released a statement, saying, “Our hearts are broken for the family of Deputy Shamone Duncan who was killed on Jan. 18 while on vacation. She was a 20-year veteran of the Cook County Department of Corrections and was currently assigned to Cermak Health Services. We are in contact with her family to provide any support they need during this difficult time and are supporting her colleagues as they process this terrible news.”
Despite being a popular tourist destination, Turks and Caicos ended 2024 with 48 murders among its estimated 49,000 population.
