American tourist killed by gunfire in Turks and Caicos

A man from Northern Virginia was killed while vacationing in Turks and Caicos over the weekend, according to the island’s police force.

The man, identified by police on Wednesday as Kent Carter, was shot by armed gang members “who acted without conscious.” Police do not believe he was targeted.

“The violence is linked to drug supply and issued by revenge, turf wars and retribution,” Commissioner of Police Trevor Botting said during a press conference Tuesday.

Carter, along with another American tourist, had been out on an excursion on Sunday, Botting said. Staff members from a local business were driving them back to where they were staying around 6 p.m. local time when several people in another vehicle began firing at them.

Police said two people were killed — Carter and a local employee. Three people were wounded, including the other tourist, according to Botting.

In a statement, the NAACP branch in Arlington, Virginia, identified Carter as its first vice president.

“Our deepest sympathies go out to his family,” the statement said. “May God grant them strength during this time of sorrow.”

The shooting that killed Carter was the first in a string of attacks across the island on Sunday. In total, three people died — including one person police believe was a suspect in the shootings — and five were wounded. The incidents are under investigation, police said.