Cook County Corrections Officer Tragically Killed in Turks and Caicos Shooting
The Cook County Department of Corrections is mourning the loss of one of its own, who was tragically killed in a double homicide over the weekend while on vacation in the Turks and Caicos Islands.
Deputy Shamone Duncan, a 20-year veteran of the Cook County Department of Corrections, was one of two people fatally shot near a popular restaurant on Grace Bay Road on Saturday (Jan. 18), the sheriff’s office reported. According to authorities, the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force (RT&CIPF) and medical personnel responded to reports of gunfire near Aziza Restaurant & Lounge in Providenciales around 10 p.m.
Upon arrival, they found three individuals shot at the scene. Fifty-year-old Duncan was hit by a stray bullet and succumbed to her injuries at the hospital, while the second victim, 30-year-old Dario Stubbs, a Turks and Caicos resident, was pronounced dead on-site. A third victim, a 29-year-old man, remains hospitalized, CBS reports.
The Cook County Sheriff’s Office mourned Duncan's loss in a heartfelt statement: “Our hearts are broken for the family of Deputy Shamone Duncan... She was a dedicated public servant, assigned to Cermak Health Services, whose impact was felt by her colleagues and community. We are providing her family and colleagues with support during this difficult time.”
Duncan’s only son, Shamon Payton, told ABC7 she was in Turks and Caicos for her sister's birthday. They were on the rooftop when others began to argue downstairs. Payton said that’s when a shootout began.
“People started yelling, telling people to get down,” he explained. “Everybody got down, and my mom got up. And then, she got hit... Bystanders came, and they tried to help.” The grandmother was on her second of three nights on the island.
“I lost a lot of people, and it just feels different with it being your mother, the person who birthed you,” Payton told reporters. “You only get one mother, one father. I lost the one.”
In a statement, the RT&CIPF extended their sympathies to the victims’ families. “We condemn this violence and will remain resolute in our pursuit of the person(s) responsible for this despicable act,” they said, urging anyone with information to contact their Serious Crime Unit or submit anonymous tips.