American Kent Carter honoured with full military funeral; TCI Deputy Premier attends

By Dana Malcolm

Staff Writer

#USA, October 28, 2022 – Kent Carter, described by his colleagues as ‘one of our brightest stars’, was laid to rest on Saturday October 22, in the presence of his family, friends and Deputy Premier E. Jay Saunders, representative of the Turks and Caicos’ part in the tragedy that led to Carter’s death.

“Our entire country has been in a state of shock since the passing of Mr. Carter— By every measure [his] life was worth celebrating. I have been grateful to learn so much about him; His engaging personality, his interests and above all his importance to his family and his community. Indeed this tragedy is all the more heartbreaking when one considers Mr. Carter’s legacy of service,” Saunders told the gathered mourners as he was given a chance to speak at the pulpit in Virginia.

Carter was murdered in the Turks and Caicos on October 2nd in a hail of bullets meant for the driver of the vehicle he was riding; he was celebrating his 40th birthday, sparking a wave of international grief.

The Vice President of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People in Arlington Virginia, Carter was widely regarded as a steadfast community advocate and was his funeral service was held with full military honours.

A dedicated father, often referring to himself as a “girl dad” he was committed to uplifting those around him, from giving out free real estate advice via social media, to broadcasting charity projects, he was a giver. Saunders acknowledged the grave loss.

“As the first Vice President of the NAACP, Arlington branch and the chair of the Criminal Justice Committee, his recent focus has been on improving his country and lifting up his community by seeking to make it a fair and more secure place to live— from what I’ve heard of his life the term servant leader comes to mind.” Saunders told the grievers describing Carter’s death as a tragedy exacerbated by his exemplary life.

“In my country we draw inspiration from Mr. Carter and we admire his contributions— please know that you have the sympathy and love of the people of the Turks and Caicos Islands,” the Deputy Premier said.

Following the ‘Bloody Sunday’ shooting rampage that took the lives of Carter and two others, security in the islands has been beefed up significantly. The local Police force has been bolstered with the strength of neighbors, including The Bahamas, UK and US which spared K-9 units, helicopters, fixed wing aircrafts and manpower.

Since his death and up to the time of his funeral, there had been no reports of shootings or murders.  That all changed on October 26 when two were shot, one man dying on the spot.

As for Carter, he left behind a daughter, 14 year old Kennedi and a long-time partner Alonia Williams.