Duhaney Park Primary School Principal Colleen Reid Grant has scolded the Jamaica Observer for a report last Friday which stated that a man, identified as 25-year-old Shamar Wright, was fatally shot on the school’s play field about 10:30 am the day before.

The report of Wright’s shooting, published on the newspaper’s online platform only,  was added to that of the murder of 33-year-old Kevon Cole about 8:30 pm Thursday on Payne Avenue close to the entrance of Haile Selassie High School.

In a letter to the Observer, Principal Reid Grant said the section of the report relating to Duhaney Park Primary School was inaccurate and had caused “far-reaching anxiety” among the school’s stakeholders and damage to its reputation.

“On that day and time classes were in session and access to the school compound restricted by security personnel to authorised persons. The school’s playing field is located on the premises and the entire compound is secured by chain link fencing with a single access point for vehicles and pedestrians manned by security personnel on a 24 hour basis. There was no shooting incident on the school compound or on any of the roads that border the school,” the principal said.

“Our checks revealed that there was, in fact, a shooting near an open field in the community. For clarity, this field is not used by the school as we are beneficiaries of a $2.5 million state-of-art irrigated playing field sponsored by Guardian Group and NCB Foundation. The incident and the processing of the crime scene were not even seen or heard by our staff and students and there was no disruption to our operation,” Reid Grant added.

“The regrettable characterisation of Duhaney Park Primary School, an institution undergoing tremendous positive transformation, as a shooting scene during school hours has resulted in great distress to our school community. This is evidenced by numerous enquiries from members of the board of management, concerned parents, past students and well-wishers. Among the concerns expressed is that the school is not a safe and secure space for students if a shooting can be committed in the students’ play area during school hours,” the principal said.