By Dana Malcolm
Staff Writer
#TurksandCaicos, December 31, 2021 – The Turks and Caicos Islands Christmas weekend, a time of supposed good cheer and kindness was hit with a string of crimes that left communities shaken and at least one person dead.
Several different crimes were reported to Magnetic Media by civilian victims or observers.
One report, of a carjacking, came via a Facebook post. The shaken mother said she had decided to visit a friend on Sunday and left her children sitting in her car for less than five minutes. She described what happened next,
“According to my oldest son, another vehicle pulled up next to the car and a young man took it upon himself to steal the car and told my oldest, who was trying to stop him from putting the car in reverse, go to your mar.
My daughter and second son jumped out of the moving car and ran to the house to safety and my oldest tried to protect his siblings. While they are ok physically, mentally I know it will take some time to get over that trauma.”
The woman pleaded with Turks and Caicos residents not to get comfortable, and to pay attention ‘to everything.’
The stolen car, a black Honda Fit license Plate #36780, up to publication time had not yet been recovered.
Another incident, a shooting that left a Haitian man dead occurred on Tuesday night.
Police confirm the incident saying a man and woman were shot several times in the Dock Yard area. The 39-year-old man died on the spot while the 34-year-old woman remains in hospital.
The Police say they are still trying to determine the circumstances of the shooting.
Police Commissioner Trevor Botting, now back in country, said “Crimes like this should anger us all and encourage those of you who might have seen or heard something to let us know immediately to get these criminals out of the community”.
Police have also confirmed that there was another shooting in the Five Cays area on Wednesday where the victim got to the doorstep of a local grocery store seeking help.
These were not the only incidents that reportedly occurred during the Christmas season, there are several unconfirmed reports including at least two armed robberies one of these was said to be against a group of Filipinos, where their home was raided of nearly everything.
The Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force has not verified these incidents.
There has also been no word on the escape of Renardo Clarke, an escapee who broke out of lock-up in Providenciales on Christmas Eve. The Police have not said whether he has been recaptured or not. It is unclear whether new measures are being undertaken by the police to curb the trend of violent crimes.
Homicides for the year now stand at 13.