American Tourist Shot During Robbery in Turks and Caicos While on Family Vacation with Wife and Son
An American tourist who was robbed at gunpoint Friday morning while vacationing in Turks and Caicos with his family has returned to the United States, multiple news outlets report.
Kevin Newman, of Smiths Stations Alabama, was shot during an early morning robbery near the resort he was staying at in the Grace Bay Providenciales of the Caribbean archipelago, Royal Turks and Caicos Islands police announced Friday.
At the time, Newman was taken to a local hospital in critical condition but had to put into a medically induced coma and evacuated to a Florida hospital, where he remains in serious condition, WTVM reports.
No arrests have been made at this time, police said. The incident is being treated by police as s robbery.
According to his family, Newman was shot once in his abdomen, causing damage to his liver. The bullet exited his back, ABC News reports.
“It caused damage to his liver, but the main issue was that it hit his inferior vena cava and right kidney vein,” Tiffany Newman said in a statement, according to ABC News. “He lost a very large amount of blood, so he received lots of transfusions yesterday. The surgeon also had to remove his right kidney, and his left kidney function is being monitored closely. ”
• Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Click here to get breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases in the True Crime Newsletter.
Newman, who was vacationing with his wife and son, has since had to have his liver removed. Officials are already planning on transferring him to a medical center closer to the family’s Eastern Alabama home, ABC News reports.
The father was transported back to the U.S. in an air ambulance to Broward Health Medical Center in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, according to ABC News. In her statement, Tiffany Newman described her husband’s condition as “stable” but he remains on a ventilator.
“His vitals are better today and they are giving him excellent care,” Tiffany said in the statement, WTVM reports. “I am so thankful and relieved he is here!”
A GoFundMe page set up to help pay for the father’s medical expenses has currently raised more than $23,000.
In a statement obtained by PEOPLE, the Turks & Caicos Islands Ministry of Tourism offered their thoughts and prayers to Newman and his family.
“This type of occurrence sends a ripple through the entire community,” the statement reads.
“Words can’t begin to express how thankful we are to each and every person that has given anything to our family,” Tiffany said in her statement. “This has been so traumatic, [but] it has also been so comforting knowing we have so much love, support, and prayers for us.”
Anyone with information pertaining to the incident is urged to call 1-800-8477 or contact the Chalk Sound Police Station at+1 649-338-5901.
