Parents of students attending Providence Girls’ Catholic School in Belmont were summoned to collect their children even before the morning bell rang yesterday, after a gunshot victim entered the school’s compound, sending staff and students screaming and searching for a safe space.
Chaos broke out around 7.45 am, after a Belmont Circular Road resident was shot by an armed man near the Hilton Trinidad hotel along the Lady Young Road.
Officers from the Port-of-Spain Task Force (PoSTF) were alerted about a shooting at 7.15 am.
The 38-year-old victim told police he had just crossed the Lady Young Road and walking near the hotel when he was confronted by a gunman who shot at him several times.
As he attempted to escape the gunman, the injured victim reportedly ran back towards Belmont Circular Road and through a track which runs at the back of the school, before jumping the school’s perimeter fence.
Staff and students who were present were startled and ran for the cover of classrooms, screaming as they did so, as the bleeding man ran through the compound shouting as he made his way to front of the school.
Acting principal Krisal Gorin reported hearing screams and upon checking, she and other staff members saw the shirtless, bleeding man running through the school yard.
As officers later conducted a thorough check of the premises, permission was sought from the Ministry of Education for students to be dismissed, except for those who were scheduled to write the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) exams yesterday.
Commenting on the situation, Education Minister Dr Nyan Gadsby-Dolly said senior ministry officials visited the school shortly after the incident.
Following the site visit, she confirmed, “We determined we would install a higher fence to the back of the school that what presently exists.”
Guardian Media understands a police patrol was posted outside the school until exams concluded yesterday.
This latest incident follows a similar situation at the Belmont Secondary School last month, when a safety officer was held up at gunpoint after stumbling upon two armed suspects on the farm behind the school.
Students there were left traumatised after they witnessed the guard being taken to the back of the school at gunpoint. It was believed that officers on patrol scuttled the plan by the gunmen, as they were spooked on hearing a siren and later ran off, releasing the guard.
When Guardian Media called Providence around 3 pm yesterday, the principal was said to be in a meeting. However, a circular issued to all parents around 3.15 pm by Gorin stated, “This morning was a harrowing one but we were able to ensure the safety of all on the compound.”
And while classes are expected to resume as normal today, at least one Form One student expressed fear about returning to the school.
Sharing the concerns of a handful of friends, she said, “We do not feel safe going back to the school.”
She called on the authorities and country to get a handle on the crime situation. She also urged school officials to have a clear and concise plan for emergency situations at the school, so as to avoid panic and confusion in the future.
Her father endorsed this as he too said, “There is a need for some sort of proper security and a clear evacuation routine in case of an emergency.”
Contacted on the incident ysterday, T&T Unified Teachers Association president Martin Lum Kin said they were quite concerned by the events, noting it disrupted the school’s operations.
“Incidents like these are coming too close and too often in schools, especially in the Belmont area, and we are calling on the relevant authority to ensure there are regular patrols in and around the school as part of the support mechanism for the school.”