Parent Issues Plea after son’s Murder, calls for Young Men to Make Peace 

Dana Malcolm 

Staff Writer

#TurksandCaicos, February 15, 2024 – As of February 8, another young man has been killed in the Turks and Caicos Islands, now a parent is pleading for peace.

“To be honest with you, it’s been going on for too long, young people are losing their lives for foolishness and it doesn’t make sense,” a Parent explained to the news team around 1:40 p.m. Thursday, February 8th.

Hours earlier his son, a DECR officer, was killed in Grand Turk in broad daylight,  his death came after two double murders on February 1st and 2nd respectively. During those incidents, five others were injured including a 12-year-old girl.

For the parent, like many other citizens, it has all become too much.

“I just would like for these children to stop their foolishness and everybody come together and make peace,” he told our news team over the phone.

The Magnetic Media team has observed countless videos, social media photos and threats with young men heaving, crying, and swearing revenge after the death of their companions.  It’s proof of what Politicians, Police, and residents have been saying for years, young men in the Turks and Caicos too often use violence as a ‘go-to’ response.

A dangerous back and forth has emerged, threat for threat, violent song for violent song, and too often, kill for kill.

Grand Turk was not unfamiliar with the ‘beefs’ either; many murders over the years have been attributed to retaliatory crime including one as recent as January 29, where four people were shot, including three women and a young man, fatally.

In the turf war, a sort of callousness has also sprung up on social media, champagne is popped to mark kills, residents post death videos in celebration, laughter and cruel jokes are thrown back and forth rubbing salt in the wounds of loved ones.

The shooters themselves show no care for the vulnerable, pumping bullets into toddlers, 10-year-olds and pregnant women while stray shots take down unintended bystanders. The latest incident was just metres from a school sports day.

“None of them can come up and say I do this because of that or I hate you because of this, the just- it’s just foolishness. I think [it’s] attitude, ‘hard mouth’. Back in the days it used to be a little fist fight, but now these fellas using guns, these children need to come together, somebody needs to get these children together and make peace or else we won’t have no young folks here” the parent told us.

It’s a sentiment shared by law-abiding citizens at all levels, from Facebook anonymous chats to the House of Assembly.

“The alarming increase in incidents involving innocent bystanders being shot and targeted shootings has left us all grappling with fear and uncertainty– Our streets should be safe havens, not battlegrounds,” said Minister of Physical Planning Jamell Robinson speaking during the House of Assembly sitting on Tuesday February 6.

Similar speeches came from both sides of the floor with actionable solutions shared.

Those solutions must come sooner not later as seven weeks into 2024 the murder count stands at seven, even as the UK rushes to implement a new firearms unit and a new Commissioner is delayed in taking office, for medical reasons.  His temporary replacement is Chris Eyre, a former UK senior officer, who was sworn in on Monday, February 12 by the Governor of the Turks and Caicos.