Man shot at school gate; teachers, students shaken

The usually quiet school zone was reduced to the scene of a shooting, which unfolded in full view of students and parents at the entrance to Meadowbrook Preparatory School on Tuesday afternoon.

Reports are that just as the St Andrew-based school was dismissed, parents were in the process of collecting their children when loud explosions were heard.

Terrified students, parents, and staff scampered for cover.

A man, who was on a motorcycle waiting for a child he went to pick up, was shot repeatedly. The attackers escaped in a motorcar.

No other person was harmed.

The police, who responded to the shooting, transported the injured man to hospital.

The roadway was cordoned by the police after the shooting, restricting movement as the investigators commenced their probe.

Shortly after the shooting, the school sent out a circular urging parents to collect their children immediately.

“I have never experienced anything like this. I always heard it on the news, but I must imagine how frightened these students and parents are. I was seated in my car and I’m still shaken. Even some of the teachers were shaken,” one parent told The Gleaner.

A neighbour said the community is not accustomed to these acts of violence.

“I mean around the area and nearby communities, you have sporadic incidents. Not right here at the school gate. It could have been inside the school because the man went there to pick up a student. A child or children could have been shot or died. Don’t tell me police have to start [getting posted] at school for this reason,” the Meadowbrook resident said.

A member of staff told The Gleaner on Tuesday evening that it was too soon to say whether classes would be affected on Wednesday.

“The shooting did not happen on the school compound. It was at the gate of the Meadowbrook United Church. It’s somebody who came to pick up a child, but he is not a parent [of that child],” the staff member disclosed, adding that counselling would follow for those traumatised by the incident.

Up to press time, no motive was established.

The communities in proximity to the school have been experiencing sporadic bouts of violence in recent weeks.

There was a murder on One Hundred Lane two weeks ago. Another murder and shooting also occurred on Whitehall Avenue recently.

Last week there was also a double shooting in nearby Price Rite square.

It was not immediately ascertained if any of these incidents had any connections to Tuesday’s shooting.

The St Andrew North Police Division recorded 12 murders between January 1 and March 31, two fewer than the corresponding period in 2022.

There were 15 shootings over the period this year, compared to 16 last year.

A total of 303 people had been murdered across the island between January 1 and March 31.

andre.williams@gleanerjm.com