Crime
TCI’s Murder No. 17, makes sixth death in 10 days
By Dana Malcolm
Staff Writer
#TurksandCaicos, September 18, 2022 – Residents are demanding answers about how to keep themselves and their children safe in the midst of gun violence that is happening closer and closer to homes, literally. In a harrowing escalation of violence about 4 pm Tuesday September 13, a man was shot on Millennium Highway near Grant’s Gas Station.
Magnetic Media began receiving reports of the shooting about 3:40 in the afternoon; a time when parents and school buses would have been along the roadway ferrying children from school and heading home from work, exposing them to possibly deadly harm.
To compound matters it occurred in Wheeland, the most populous community in The Turks and Caicos. And in the hours after the murder MM received continuous reports of gunfire in and around the area.
Wheeland MP, Kyle Knowles, advised his constituents to avoid the area completely, he said.
“We’ve recently been advised that an incident has occurred in the vicinity of the Grant’s Gas Station on the Millennium Highway. — Kindly note that access to the area is currently restricted for safety purposes and will be
restored once the matter has been dealt with.”
The victim, a young man, said to be a Jamaican, was seemingly shot in the head multiple times by the side of the road late afternoon.
Traffic had to be diverted as Police officers cordoned off the bloody scene. It was no less graphic or heartbreaking the 17th time around.
Horrific photos of the murdered man were being circulated on social media; they showed the young man face down with two visible wounds to the back of the head, his back turned to whoever took him down.
The police report said: Though reports remain limited at this time, preliminary information state at 2.57 pm today (September 13th, 2022) , multiple calls were placed to the Police Control Room of gunshots in the vicinity of Grant’s Gas Station along the Millennium Highway.
Based on additional information received, a male body with gunshot wounds to the head was lying motionless close to the Station’s Store.
Acting on the information received, officers were dispatched to the location where they observed the lifeless body of a male with gunshot wounds to the head.
Additionally, the RTCIPF has become aware that photographs from this murder scene are being circulated via chat groups and social media platforms.
You are asked to desist from this immediately.”
The perpetrators of these acts seem to have no regard for time, place or innocence and the police have failed to decisively show that they are able to keep the situation under control.
Deandrea Hamilton | Editor
Blue Hills, Turks and Caicos — June 26, 2025 – The Turks and Caicos community is in mourning following the brutal killing of a security guard during a robbery at GK Food Store in Blue Hills, a crime police are now investigating as a deliberate assassination.
The victim has been identified as 42-year-old Mervin Mattelles Joseph, a long-serving officer with Spencer Security & Investigation
Services Ltd., and a devoted husband and father of two young boys. According to eyewitnesses and disturbing crime scene video, Joseph was shot multiple times, even as he attempted to flee. His lifeless body was later found face-down near the store entrance, sparking renewed outrage over the vulnerability of frontline security personnel in the territory. “This was more than just a robbery — this was an execution,” said a spokesperson for Spencer Security in an emotional statement. “Mervin was targeted and gunned down while trying to protect others. He gave his life in service and deserved better.” The robbery occurred around 5:29 p.m. on June 25, when three masked, armed men stormed the busy community grocery store. After fatally shooting Joseph, the assailants proceeded to rob the business and fled on foot. Despite a swift response and active dragnet by the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force, the suspects remain at large.
In a rare public appeal, the police have urged anyone with CCTV footage or information—no matter how small—to come forward. “We need the public’s help,” said a police spokesperson. “Justice for Mr. Joseph and his family depends on it.”
The senseless killing has sent shockwaves through the community and reignited calls for better protections for security officers. “He couldn’t even identify them — they didn’t have to kill him,” said one eyewitness. “He was doing his job.”
As the investigation continues, Mervin Joseph is remembered not only as a guard, but as a protector, a father, and a man who paid the ultimate price for his commitment to safeguarding others. The community now awaits justice for a loss that is as profound as it is heartbreaking.
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