ANCHOVY, St James

Classes were suspended at the Anchovy High School yesterday following the slaying of the school’s watchman, 58-year-old Lloyd Miller on Tuesday night.

Classes are expected to resume today.

According to Miller’s co-worker who was on duty with him Tuesday, armed men broke into the bursar’s office, took an undetermined sum of money and stole three computers.

The co-worker who managed to escape unscathed, told the Observer West that around 11:45 pm Tuesday, they were both inside the school’s auditorium when his colleague alerted him to an eerie sound coming from a nearby building on the premises.

He said they both went in separate directions to investigate.

He said, as soon as his colleague went around a corner, tragedy struck, as three deafening explosions, believed to be gunshots, disturbed the night’s tranquility.

The grief-stricken watchman said he ran and hid until he thought it was safe for him to leave.

He said that during that time he was so afraid to go on the road, he didn’t report the matter to the police until the wee hours yesterday.

Miller’s blood-soaked body was discovered on the school property about 6:00 am yesterday, slumped in a chair in a classroom.

The school’s principal Claudett Hudson explained that there would have been no classes on the afternoon shift due to yesterday’s planned staff meeting.

She said the entire school population was plunged into grief after news broke of the death of the hard-nosed watchman who served the school for 20 years.

” When they called they never tell me ‘Gatey’ (Miller) died. When I came they said ‘Gatey’ dead and all I could do is cry. This thing is devastating. This morning when you look at ‘Gatey’ daughter she cried and her sister. ‘Gatey’ a no soft man, ‘Gatey’ a somebody you can trust with your life,” she sobbed.

Yesterday morning regional director of education Devon Ruddock and education officer Vilma Miller convened an emergency meeting with the entire school staff inside the school auditorium, in a move to console them.