In moments of trouble, Cook County Sheriff’s Deputy Shamone Duncan’s first instinct was always to help those in need, her family said.
“She had this strong conviction for helping people,” her son, Shamon Payton, told the Sun-Times on Monday. “That was my mom’s thing.”
Duncan, a 20-year veteran of the county’s Department of Corrections, was shot and killed Saturday in Turks and Caicos while celebrating her sister’s 40th birthday at a restaurant.
She was sitting on the rooftop of the Aziza Restaurant & Lounge in Grace Bay when she was hit by a stray bullet about 10 p.m. Another man was killed, and a 29-year old man was wounded in the shooting.
As the shots were fired, restaurant patrons took cover, but Duncan stood up and was struck, Payton said.
“I think when everybody got down and she stood up, she was turning on her cop senses,” said Payton, 34. “I think her training kicked in and her instinct was to lead — even in the most craziest situation.”
Duncan, 50, had been assigned to Cermak Health Services at Cook County Jail, the sheriff’s office said.
“Our hearts are broken for the family of Deputy Shamone Duncan,” a sheriff’s spokesperson said in a statement Sunday. “We are in contact with her family to provide any support they need during this difficult time and are supporting her colleagues as they process this terrible news.”
But Duncan wasn’t just a deputy.
“She loved her job, but my mom wore a lot of hats,” Payton said. “She was also a loving sister, mother and grandmother.”
Duncan loved to travel and spend time with her family — especially her 11-year-old granddaughter, Ava.
Before the trip to Turks and Caicos, Duncan had traveled to Dubai with her granddaughter.
Payton said no one would ever be able to replace his mother, and although he will always miss her, he’s thankful for the time he was able to spend with her.
“There is not a word in the English dictionary that can perfectly describe and group the type of mother that my mother was,” he said. “She was an amazing woman.”
Outside of her work as a deputy, Duncan was also an active member of her local Order of the Eastern Star, a charitable service organization, for nearly 10 years.
“Always helping people,” Payton said. “She was always helping people.”
Authorities in Turks and Caicos had no updates on the investigation Monday.