Magnetic Media & Eagle Legal News

Turks and Caicos, August 29, 2025 – A quiet Sunday afternoon in Blue Hills was shattered on August 24 when bursts of gunfire erupted along Front Street, leaving two people injured and sparking renewed fears in the community.

According to Eagle Legal News Media, residents reported hearing a barrage of bullets around 3:30 p.m., forcing people to run for cover. Videos from the crime scene later showed more than two dozen evidence markers scattered across the roadway, documenting the scale of the attack.

At least two individuals were struck by gunfire, though police sources said their injuries were not considered life-threatening. The victims were treated at Cheshire Hall Medical Centre, where emergency services were briefly disrupted as staff responded to the influx of casualties.

The spray of bullets also damaged property. A small black Japanese car had its window blown out, while a truck parked nearby bore visible bullet holes.

The shooting came on the very same day that senior police and national security officials had gathered for a special church service in Providenciales, where prayers were offered for peace and protection across the islands. Just hours later, residents of Blue Hills were ducking for cover as bullets tore through their community.

The attack also followed weeks of heightened restrictions. Though Blue Hills had only recently emerged from a community-wide curfew, neighboring Five Cays remained under emergency restrictions until August 26. Additional late-night rules — including 2 a.m. closures for businesses and a ban on after-hours alcohol sales — remain in place following the July 27 Hookah Lounge mass shooting that killed four people.

Police cordoned off Front Street during their investigation, but as of press time, no arrests had been announced.

Providenciales, Turks and Caicos — August 22, 2025 – The Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force (RT&CIPF) has recovered a high-powered rifle and more than 250 rounds of ammunition following a targeted operation in the Blue Hills community of Providenciales.

According to police, officers from the Tactical Unit and the Criminal Investigations Division acted on intelligence and searched an open area where they discovered the weapon, 255 assorted rounds, and firearm accessories. No arrests were made. The investigation is continuing.

This seizure adds to a string of police actions in 2025 against guns and narcotics.

On March 27, officers executed a warrant at a residence in Pete Court, Kew Town. Police say they discovered several bags of suspected cannabis and tablets believed to be methamphetamine. A 58-year-old woman and a 34-year-old man were arrested on suspicion of possession with intent to supply.

In July, the Turks and Caicos Islands Border Force intercepted two separate narcotics shipments under Operation Transit Shed. More than 26 kilograms of cannabis and other drugs, with an estimated street value of over US $260,000, were seized. The contraband had been vacuum-sealed and hidden in boxes with detergent odors to mask the smell.

Days later, the country faced its first mass shooting when gunmen opened fire at a nightclub in Providenciales. Three people were killed and ten others injured. No arrests have been reported. Police are offering a US $10,000 reward for information leading to those responsible.

Police Commissioner Fitz Bailey has urged the public to cooperate with investigations, while Premier Charles Washington Misick described the surge in gun violence as a serious threat to the nation’s security.

Residents are being encouraged to report illegal activity by calling 911, Crime Stoppers at 1-800-8477, or using the P3 app.

Deandrea Hamilton | Editor

PROVIDENCIALES, Turks and Caicos – The assassination of 52-year-old Marilyn Simmons has shaken the Turks and Caicos Islands to the core — not only for its brazenness, but for its calculated cruelty.

Police and community sources say Simmons, a mature, hard-working resident originally from Salt Cay, was targeted in a bitter dispute she did not start.  Yet, in an act of chilling vengeance, young men allegedly decided her life was the price to pay for someone else’s quarrel.

Around 9:28 a.m. Sunday, Simmons was found dead on Reece Street in Five Cays.  Multiple gunshot wounds, including a fatal shot to the head, point to a deliberate and cold-blooded execution.  Investigators believe her killing was intended as retribution — a message delivered in bullets, with no regard for her innocence or humanity.                                                                                                                                 “This was a sadistic act,” one community advocate said.  “To hunt down and kill a woman in her fifties over a beef she had no part in… it speaks to a frightening moral collapse.”                                                                                                                                                                                                                                The murder comes as police intensify operations in violence-stricken areas, including Blue Hills, where overnight curfews and early closures for liquor-serving businesses are in effect.  Despite these measures, Simmons’ death marks the 25th murder in 2025, placing the TCI’s per-capita homicide rate among the highest in the world.

The brazenness of this killing — striking down a respected citizen in broad daylight — highlights a disturbing evolution in violent crime on the islands.  These are not random bursts of anger, but targeted, planned attacks, carried out with an apparent thirst for blood and a chilling disregard for community outrage.

Residents are left fearful, frustrated, and demanding answers: How did retribution killings become an acceptable currency among the young and angry? And what must be done to end this cycle before it claims more innocent lives?

Marilyn Simmons is the country’s 25th homicide for 2025.