Cook County Sheriff’s Deputy Shamone Duncan was shot dead while celebrating her sister’s birthday in Turks and Caicos. The incident occurred Saturday night on Grace Bay Road, where Duncan and local resident Dario Stubbs were shot outside a restaurant, according to the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force.
“Responding officers discovered three individuals injured during the shooting, one of whom succumbed to injuries at the scene while the other died at an area hospital. A third victim, who has been identified as a 29-year-old male, is undergoing medical treatment,” Acting Commissioner Rodney Adams wrote in the release.
“There is no evidence to suggest that Ms. Duncan, Mr. Stubbs or the wounded victim were the targets of this incident,” Adams said.
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Duncan, 50, was celebrating her sister’s birthday at a rooftop party at Aziza Restaurant in Providenciales during her second day of vacation when she was struck by a stray bullet.
According to her family, the gunfire erupted after an argument broke out downstairs. The restaurant has not yet commented on the incident.
“People started yelling, telling people to ‘get down, everybody got down,’ and my mom got up,” her son Shamon Payton told ABC 7. “And then, she got hit … Bystanders came and they tried to help.”
Duncan, a 20-year veteran of the Cook County Department of Corrections, was recently reassigned to Cermak Health Services before her tragic death.
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The sheriff’s office expressed their condolences, saying their “hearts [were] broken for the family of Deputy Shamone Duncan.”
“It is with unimaginable sorrow that we, the family of Sheriff Shamone A. Duncan, announce her tragic passing on Jan. 18, 2025,” the department said. “Shamone was a proud native of Chicago, born and raised in the city she loved and served tirelessly… Above all, Shamone was a devoted mother, grandmother, sister and friend.”
“A shining example of excellence, she was a proud Eastern Star, exemplifying her deep commitment to faith, service, and community,” the department continued. “Her 21 years of service as Cook County Sheriff were a testament to her unwavering dedication to justice and her passion for protecting others. She was a beacon of strength, compassion, and leadership, touching countless lives in her community and beyond.”
