By Vivian Tyson - SUN Senior Editor

The police hierarchy has condemned the brutal slaying of Turkish national and Club Med Turquoise Resort employee, Murat Kilicer 30, who was pounced on and shot by one of two armed robbers while in the company of others on Sunday, July 18 at Pirates Cove in Providenciales.
According to reports, Kelcier was on the beach in the area with friends when two masked men appeared from nowhere and brandished guns. One of the men immediately opened fire hitting Kelcier, after which they demanded money. The SUN understands that they escaped with an undisclosed sum of cash and valuables.
A report from press officer Sergeant Calvin Chase said so far, the police have recovered substantial evidence from the scene which they believe would assist them greatly in their investigations. The items recovered are one 0.9mm spent shell and a mask believed to have been used in the attack.
According to Chase, to date a number of witnesses have been interviewed and the police are following up on the leads received.
Weighing on the incident, Commissioner of Police, Edward Hall said the murder of the Turkish national has sent jitters through-out the Turks and Caicos Islands. He however, pledged that his charges would not rest until those responsible are brought to justice.
“The murder of a foreign national has sent a shock-wave throughout our community which has prided itself on the welcome offered to all visitors - tourists and foreign residents alike.  This crime has an impact on this country's reputation and as such could damage our tourist industry and a number of our small businesses.
“My officers will do all they can to bring those involved in this crime to justice, and I appeal to all members of the community with any information that can help our investigation to step forward.  In all crimes, but especially serious and violent crimes, the police and the community must work closely together,” Commissioner Hall said.
In the meantime, Assistant Commissioner of Police and Head of CID Rodney Adams, who branded the attack as “vicious”, said while the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force has been following a number leads, the public’s assistance was still needed to snare the culprits.
“This was a particularly vicious attack and the major incident team is aggressively pursuing a number of lines of enquiry.  We have interviewed a number of witnesses, but we are aware that the crime may have been seen by others.  We appeal to anyone else with information concerning this serious incident to come forward and contact the police at 941 4448 / 941 4451,” noted Adams.
The murder of the foreign national spread like wildfire, especially among the hospitality community, which was told earlier that it was a hotel guest that was killed. Its shock did not diminish on learning that it was one of their own that was killed by the thugs.
And apparently still shocked from the vicious attack on one of their staff members, Club Med said it was not prepared to speak to the media on the issue.
When this newspaper contacted the resort and was asked to speak to a manager concerning the incident, a receptionist replied: “No one is able to speak on the matter at this time.” And when The SUN queried as to whether it could call at a later time for a comment, the reception responded: “You can call back but it would be the same thing, no one would be available to speak on the matter.”
Posted July 23 2010