Three people were killed and 10 others were injured at a popular nightclub in the Turks and Caicos Islands in what local authorities are calling the islands’ first mass shooting.
Four suspects were involved in the shooting on Providenciales early Sunday, Police Commissioner Fitz Bailey told the AP. Bailey called the shooting “deeply disturbing” and said no arrests have been made yet.
“We are now having a gangland-type slaying, and a lot of this gang violence seems to be concentrated in our Haitian communities,” Premier Charles Washington Misick said during a press conference.
He encouraged the Haitian community to work with police to understand how guns are being smuggled into the Turks and Caicos Islands, the outlet reported, citing local authorities.
“What is happening here is unlike anything we’ve ever seen before,” Misick said. “This is not a situation we should accept.”
Bailey told CBS News that the shooting injuries ranged from minor to serious and that nine of the people injured had gunshot wounds, per acting Gov. Anya Williams. The hospital in Providenciales was on lockdown to protect the shooting victims while two of them were flown overseas for further treatment.
A $10,000 reward is being offered to those with any information that leads to the capture of the suspects involved, the outlet said, citing Bailey. They have yet to determine a motive for shooting.
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The shooting comes at a time when the Islands’ are cracking down on illegal immigration, per the outlet.
An estimated 10,900 Haitians live in the Turks and Caicos Islands, which represent a third of the population. Around 80% of the Haitians who live there live in Providenciales, 20% of whom have permanent residency, per CBS, which cited the United Nations humanitarian affairs office.
