Cook County Sheriff's deputy slain in Turks and Caicos remembered as "a joyous person"
CHICAGO (CBS) -- As the shooting death of a Cook County Sheriff's deputy in the Caribbean remains under investigation, a longtime friend is talking about the light and legacy she leaves behind.
Shamone Duncan was one of two people killed in Turks and Caicos over the weekend. She was there celebrating her sister's 40th birthday.
"Just love being around her – her laugh, her smile," said her best friend and co-worker, Tiffany Washington. "Shamone was like a sister to me."
On Saturday, Duncan and her sister and their friends went to a night club in Turks and Caicos to celebrate her sister's 40th birthday.
"She's lived her best life; just a joyous person," Washington said. "She loved to dance. She loved to sing."
Five hours later, Duncan, who was 50 years-old, would be dead.
"They heard shooting. They thought it was fireworks, and then … everybody ducked, but Shamone stood up," Washington said. "You go that far to go out of town and enjoy yourself, and something like that happens. It's just unreal."
Duncan worked as a Cook County Sheriff's deputy for more than two decades. Her last assignment was at Cermak Hospital, the hospital for inmates at Cook County Jail.
"She would make you smile. She would bring joy, no matter what the situation was," Washington said.
Duncan and Washington are members of the Order of the Eastern Star – a Masonic-related fraternal organization. Duncan was a Worthy Matron. Washington said scholarship fundraising and helping those in need were at the heart of all Duncan did in the organization.
"She just had a positive spirit. Just knowing her was great," she said.
Duncan leaves behind a son and granddaughter.
Her last Facebook post, from the beach on Turks and Caicos, was a tribute to her Eastern Star sisters, showing off a cooler with the group's logo given to her as a gift. Washington said the organization will be with Duncan's family throughout their grief and beyond.
"I will always keep her in my heart," Washington said.
Authorities said the other person killed in the same shooting lived in Turks and Caicos. A third victim is in the hospital.
Investigators said there's no evidence Duncan or the other victims were the intended targets in the shooting.