A little after 7:30 this morning, police had to be called in at Wesley College - after a 4th form student, stabbed a 3rd form student in his chest.
The victim identified as Lamar Morris, had to be rushed to the KHMH - where he is now listed in a stable but critical condition. The incident occurred in the 4th former classroom. From what we gathered the victim, Lamar Morris, went to the classroom of the 17 year old suspect who is a fourth former and began to taunt him with hard talk him.
That was when the 17 year old pulled out a pocket knife and stabbed Morris once to the chest. The beef has been ongoing for some time now and it is said that the victim had been sending threats via text to the accused. In fact, it had gotten so bad that only two weeks ago, the mother of the accused, called upon Police Press Officer Sargeant Fitzroy Yearwood to intervene.
The accused, it appears, was a victim of bullying because of the neighborhood he lives in - which is gang affiliated, but he is not. The family says all that pushed him to do what he did this morning.
7news spoke with the police about the incident.
Sgt. Fitzroy Yearwood, Police Press Officer
"Some around 7:30 this morning an unfortunate incident between two students where a student took out a knife and inflicted a stab wound to a Lamar Morris to the left side of his chest. He was transported with the help of some of the members of staff to the hospital where is being treated and the doctors has listed him in a stable but serious condition."
"We are looking for the other student who is known to us and hopefully to get to the bottom of this. Obviously something had to spark this situation to make it reach this level where one of them ended up being hurt. The victim in this case - I have never met him before, I know that he is part of a group of other students that go around bullying other students."
"A parent approach me about two weeks ago where she brought it to my attention and I explain to her that they are all students. I told her to go to the principal and also to make a official report, it is within your right if you believe that your child life is being threatened by another child. We have to understand the nature of crimes that are taking place in our streets these days and the age level of the perpetrator of these crimes. So you as a parent have to know that if I believe that my child's life is in danger and another student is threatening my child I will go to the police. I am a police officer, but I will still make a report and that is what I relayed to her; you go to the principal to make a formal complaint and you also go and make an official report."
"The investigation is still young and as far as I know one of them inflicted a stab would. That's all I know right now and I would have to wait until the investigators speak to the other student to hear what he has to say. But from the victim's perspective, investigators have gathered that the victim admitted that they had a incident where they were both involved in some time ago - a dispute between both of them. I am not aware that he was one of the persons in that group but I know that there was a complaint from one of the parents about the same group that he has confessed to being a part of."
"We do search students. That would be on the request of the principal. We know we have all these right and all these blockage these days but if a principal believe that certain elements are there in his/her school and they need to be search they would call. We have the community policing unit. As a matter of fact we have a officer posted at Wesley College daily. This officer should be on campus by 8 o' clock. I know that one was there when I visited the scene this morning but like I said even in the presence of a police officer you do know what anybody's intent is especially on a compound where you have more than 400 students."
Marion Ali, reporter
"Is the searches done often?"
Sgt. Fitzroy Yearwood, Police Press Officer
"Yes we do it. The community policing officers do searches at random."
Despite sustained attempts, we were unable to reach the school for any comments, but we will have more on the story in tomorrow's newscast.
