A shootout between warring gangs in East Port of Spain in broad daylight forced the closure of the Rose Hill R.C. Primary School after students and teachers had to lie on the ground as gunfire erupted within the surrounding communities.
• Cell phone video of students on the floor of their classroom and being spoken to by their teacher as the shots rang out emerged earlier today and have angered citizens.
• Many were unaware of the challenges faced by the school children and teachers on an almost daily basis until the emergence of the video inside a classroom on Monday.
• Gunshots in the community are a daily occurrence for many who have become numb but it has left the children and teachers severely traumatized forcing the suspension of physical classes until further notice.
• Sometime in August during the school vacation, the guard booth to the front of the school, located at the corner of Schuller and La Coulee Street, Rose Hill, Laventille, was struck by a bullet fired from an assault weapon leaving a gaping hole in the wall.
• A source told us that the school is hoping to resume face-to-face classes on Monday but for now, virtual classes will take place given the security and safety challenges faced by shootouts between warring gangs within surrounding communities.
• While our camera crew was in the area earlier today, we observed armed police officers on foot patrol along a nearby street that links to the neighboring community in Belmont.
