ORACABESSA, St Mary — Apart from issues in the past with his attire, principal of the Oracabessa High School in St Mary, Paul Lofters said Rushane Murray was not a child who presented disciplinary issues at school.

He described the 16-year-old grade 10 student as a quiet boy who was very respectful to his teachers.

So, it was easy to understand the shock and disbelief that gripped the school yesterday, a day after Murray died from stab wounds allegedly inflected by a schoolmate.

Murray, the

Jamaica Observer was told, was allegedly involved in a dispute with another student on the Oracabessa main road on Tuesday evening, when he was stabbed. He was taken to hospital where he succumbed to his injuries. Two students have since been taken into custody.

Lofters said students described Murray as “a very quiet person and that something like that should not have happened to him”.

“They are just milling around, you can see the impact on their faces. It is a very sombre mood,” Lofters said, pointing out that students on the afternoon shift, of which Murray was a part, were more affected.

The students received counselling from the Ministry of Education and the Safe School unit out of St Mary.

Lofters said the school had done all it could to prevent violence among students and pointed out that Monday’s incident happened off the school compound.

“It was not something that we knew about; it took us by surprise. All three were in school on Monday. They were all in school on Friday,” he said, emphasising that there were no signs of tension between the lads.

Lofters said while there have been bouts of dispute between students, it was the first time that one had led to a death.

In addition to the school having a safety resource officer, the Oracabessa police carry out frequent patrols in the area, especially between shifts, Lofters said.

While he did not provide much detail, Lofters said one of the students implicated in the stabbing death of Murray had previously been before a school board. He said the board had then advised that the student be placed in a programme to help to address disciplinary issues. He was among 10 students who were placed in this programme, which involved counselling sessions.

Meanwhile, students on the afternoon shift were sent home early yesterday to facilitate a meeting between school staff and representatives of the Ministry of Education.