Kent Carter, of the Arlington County NAACP was killed on vacation while riding in a shuttle van back to his hotel. Police say a gang of men started shooting at the vehicle, which murdered Carter and injured another passenger in the van.
What happened:
“Just a really great, standup guy, you know? One of the best neighbors you could have,” stated Robert York to FOX 5. York was a neighbor to Carter and couldn’t believe the news of what happened. “He and his family, just really great neighbors. So this is just incredibly sad news,” York said.
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“These criminals began to indiscriminately shoot into the vehicle,” said Trevor Botting, police commissioner in Turks and Caicos. Botting states the van Carter was riding in was ambushed by gunmen. Murdering Carter and injuring a staff member.
The aftermath:
After the incident, police found the vehicle the gunmen were in and engaged in a shootout. The gunmen had automatic weapons and police ended up killing one of the shooters.
“Our deepest condolences go out to the family of those who were murdered,” Botting said.
Carter spent time in executive leadership at the NAACP of Arlington County and was on the county’s police practices working group.
A great loss to the community:
Carter was in executive leadership at the NAACP and was also apart of Arlington County’s police practices working group. He was also a realtor in the community.
“I know that he has a young daughter, and I have a kiddo that lives with me as well, and we definitely bonded around. We got to work around school pickup, we got to work around homework time, things like that, as I was buying the house, and he was just so great about that,” said Rachel Saathoff, who was a client of Carter.
The investigation:
The authorities in Turks and Caicos are still searching for answers and looking for the rest of the gunmen involved.
Botting says the shooting was tied to the drug trade in Turks and Caicos, inspired by turf wars and revenge.
Julius Spain, Senior President of the NAACP Arlington told FOX 5, “Mr. Carter was not only a friend but a true champion of civil rights and social justice.” Spain says he knew Carter for more than ten years and said he was “a gentleman with a gentle heart.”
Carter’s girlfriend who was also in the vehicle spoke with Spain. She said they were headed back to the hotel after the beach. Carter, who is a veteran and former special agent, used his body to shield her from the gunfire.
