Investigations into the threat made against School of the Nations are still underway and police sources have told Stabroek News that they have questioned a number of persons.
The source told this newspaper that they have not taken anyone into custody. It was noted that they are currently compiling a file as they prepare to seek legal advice.
In addition, the motive behind the shooting of the school’s founder and principal Brian O’Toole still remains unclear but the police source noted that they are working on a theory.
Commissioner of Police Leslie James has told reporters that the police’s Cybercrime unit is actively involved in the investigation since it is a serious matter.
“Of course it’s a serious matter which, it started with the threat and it resulted with the shooting. I won’t say, well not necessarily result, but we have seen the shooting of the principal Mr O’Toole…what I can say is that we have taken some actions, we have contacted a few persons, there are some others that we are pursuing and it’s an ongoing investigation,” James said on Wednesday.
On Sunday last, the school’s administration met with parents to discuss the security threat that surfaced on Saturday night.
The post containing the first threat was made days after a student was expelled for threatening to “shoot up” the school. That student was questioned by the police and has since claimed that the threat was a joke.
Hours after addressing parents’ security concerns, O’Toole was shot by a gunman at his home
“There were three bullets fired at me. I was struck by two of them. One did minor damage on the right arm and the other was more serious on the left where the bone was badly damaged. I am getting better and will likely be in the hospital for a few days,” he said in a Facebook post on Monday from his hospital bed.
Stabroek News understands that the gunman was not masked when he confronted O’Toole.
Meanwhile, the administration of the school will today meet with students and parents and bring them up to date with security measures to address the recent threat.
In a letter sent to parents yesterday, the administration informed that they will be meeting with parents today and tomorrow. The school stated that they will meet with parents of the 4th, 5th and 6th forms today at 5pm while tomorrow they will meet with parents of students from the nursery to primary at 1pm and forms 1-3 at 3pm.
It was also noted in the letter, that the school has contracted the services of the Professional Guard Service.
Classes are expected to resume on Monday.
In a statement on Tuesday afternoon, the school’s administration said school will remain closed for the remainder of the week. “School will be closed for the rest of the week until Monday 4th February as we put things in place to ensure the security of all on campus,” the statement read.
The statement was made following a meeting on Monday last where parents made it clear to the school administration that they were not fully satisfied with the security measures in place. Many felt that the school was not prepared for a proper response in the event of a shooting.
