Two gunmen have shot dead a 71-year-old British tourist in a robbery in the Turks and Caicos islands.
The victim had been visiting a friend when the masked assailants burst into the home shortly after 11pm on Tuesday, the Associated Press reports.
They demanded money before the situation escalated and the thugs took off with cash, a ring and a watch, said police spokeswoman Takara Bain.
At this stage, it is not clear what exchange might have taken place during the incident that led to the tourist’s murder.
The friend was treated for non-life threatening injuries at a private residence in Cooper Jack on the British territory’s south coast.
The 71-year-old was evacuated to Florida for treatment where he died, the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office, confirmed to HuffPost UK.
A spokesperson said: “We are in contact with the family of a British National, following his death in Florida”.
Turks and Caicos has a population of around 38,000 and this is the second murder to take place there within just three days.
Police commissioner Trevor Botting said in a statement that this incident takes the total number of 2019 homicides to 10.
A shooting at a nightclub in Providenciales on Saturday night left one man dead and a second wounded.
“This spike in gun crime simply has to change,” Botting said.
“No one should be happy with how gun crimes are increasing in the Turks and Caicos Islands.”
Earlier this year, the US state department issued a level 2 warning advising travellers to “exercise increased caution” when visiting the archipelago “due to crime”.
HuffPost UK has approached the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office for comment.