Brazen Threats Against Police and Commissioner’s Family After Fatal Shootings Shock Turks and Caicos

Deandrea Hamilton | Editor

Turks and Caicos, August 29, 2025 – The Turks and Caicos Islands are reeling after a vulgar and brazen threat was circulated online in the wake of two fatal police-involved shootings this week.  The recorded message, allegedly made by a close friend of slain suspect Jaheim Forbes, promised to kill police officers, their families, and their friends “when the chance comes.”

What horrified residents even more was a subsequent post on Facebook — where the same individual allegedly asked the public to share a photo of the Police Commissioner’s wife so that she could be killed.  For a small nation already on edge, the audacity and cruelty of the threats have shocked many to their core.

The Trigger: Forbes’ Death

The threats came after police shot and killed 20-year-old Jaheim Forbes during a 12:20 a.m. raid on August 26 in Five Cays.  Police reported that Forbes, a known member of the Five Cays–Blue Hills Organized Crime Group and a suspect in the July 27 Hookah Lounge massacre, fired on officers as they executed a search warrant. They returned fire, fatally wounding him.

His mother, however, told Eagle Legal News Media that the shooting was unprovoked, sparking outrage and division in some corners of the community.  Forbes’ death has become a flashpoint in the territory’s escalating war with gangs.

Confrontation with TCI’s Most Wanted

Less than two days later, on August 27, police on foot patrol in Miracle Close, Blue Hills confronted Andral Percival — TCI’s most wanted fugitive.  Percival has been on the run for years, wanted in a string of killings, including the chilling double murder of two brothers whose bodies were left abandoned in a remote house in the bushes.  There is a cash reward of $10,000 for credible information leading to his arrest.

During Wednesday’s operation, police say Percival escaped after firing at them, but his associate opened fire first and was shot dead at the scene. A .40 caliber pistol was recovered.

Police Response to Threats

In a rare and strongly worded statement, the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force condemned the threats as “toxic” and vowed they would not be deterred.

“I urge all men and women of the Force to remain vigilant. Do not hesitate to defend yourself and your family. We will not stop until we identify those carrying out these brutal criminal acts, and we will break the support chains that enable them.”

A Nation on Edge

Residents are openly wondering if gangs will retaliate against random relatives of police, while others commend the force for finally confronting suspects linked to the worst violence the country has seen in years.

What adds to the concern is that, according to a well-placed source, the man behind the threats is not even in the country — raising fears that organized crime networks are expanding beyond TCI’s borders.

For a nation weary from hurricanes, curfews, and massacres, the idea that criminals would brazenly call for the assassination of the Police Commissioner’s wife is almost unthinkable. Yet this is the toxic new reality in Turks and Caicos: a high-stakes standoff where law enforcement crackdowns are answered with audacious threats — and the public is left bracing for what comes next.