(Trinidad Guardian) Criminal activity in the capital forced the closure of at least one school yesterday, after a drive-by shooting and the firing of high-powered rifles by gunmen in and around the city sent pedestrians scampering and businesses rushing to close their doors.
Parents of students attending South East Port-of-Spain Secondary School (SEPoS) on Nelson Street, Port-of-Spain, were contacted via email at 10.30 am and advised to report to the school to take their children home immediately.
This came after a decision was taken to suspend classes following a drive-by shooting, which was followed by rapid bursts of gunfire that paralysed staff and students with fear.
The parents were advised, “There was a drive-by shooting outside the school’s compound. The principal has suspended classes for the day and has reached out to the school’s supervisor for an early dismissal. While that is being processed, I am advising that you please make the necessary arrangements to pick up your child as soon as possible. Thank you!”
The spate of violence on the outskirts of the city began at 6.50 am yesterday, with the murder of Kennes Pierre as he drove along Richardson Lane.
Police said the 32-year-old linesman of St Thomas Street, Laventille, who was employed with the Port Authority of T&T, had been driving his white Nissan Tiida south along the road when he stopped at the intersection at Fromager Street, Laventille.
Five men dressed in dark clothing and heavily armed got out and opened fire on Pierre’s car. Pierre lost control of the vehicle and crashed into a wall on the southern side of the road. The gunmen escaped by running east along Quarry Street, Laventille.
Officers from the nearby Duncan Street Police Post responded along with personnel from Operation Hope, who, with the assistance of residents, placed Pierre in a police vehicle which took him to the Port-of-Spain General Hospital, where he died minutes later.
Police said around 32 spent shell casings of varying calibre were collected at the scene.
However, this was not the end of the violence for the day, as a drive-by shooting along Nelson Street hours later left three men nursing injuries. Two of the victims were hospitalised in a critical condition after being shot in the abdomen, whilst a third man who was grazed on the left little finger, was treated and discharged.
The shooting resulted in an increase in foot and mobile patrols, as officers from various specialised units locked down the area and conducted searches for the suspects.
The incident prompted Trinidad and Tobago Unified Teachers Association (TTUTA) president Martin Lum Kin to raise concerns about the violence taking place outside schools.
In a voice note via WhatsApp, Lum Kin said, “We are calling on the Ministry of Education to increase and improve schools’ security, especially those in areas deemed to be hot spots.”
He implored the T&T Police Service (TTPS) to place a static unit outside SEPoS and other schools in the capital as he said, “crime and indiscipline is a national issue.”
SEPoS Parent Teacher Association president Denise Braithwaite meanwhile said there was overwhelming concern from parents of students in Form One. She said while this was not the first time shootings had occurred in and around the school’s premises, yesterday’s incident was too close for comfort.
“Given the nature, given the circumstances, the trauma was a bit more than usual,” she said.
Braithwaite said while the school’s 800-strong population had undergone extensive training via the Health and Safety Department on how to react to shootings, she said nothing ever prepares one for how to react to gun violence.
Braithwaite said this latest incident was another opportunity for the ministry and school officials to again consider relocating the school.
She said a similar shooting outside the school back in 2019 resulted in a projectile entering one of the classrooms – and when talk of relocation was raised back then, school officials were urged not to consider this, as the school was an integral part of the community.
