Police investigate student chopping

TOBAGO police are investigating a chopping incident on Tuesday evening after which Deshawn Guy, form three student of Signal Hill Secondary School, was hospitalised with a chop wound to the head after an argument at the Scarborough Library, Gardenside Street.

A one-minute video uploaded on Tuesday night showed male students dressed in Signal Hill Secondary uniform fighting with a number of other boys in plain clothing carrying long objects in their hands.

A second video showed the injured boy sitting on a bench near the library with a wound to the top of his head dripping blood on his school uniform and the ground. He was surrounded by other students, one also holding a long object, which was used in the fight. A security guard from the library was seen helping the boy, who was taken to the Scarborough General Hospital where he was treated, then discharged on Wednesday.

A report was made to the Scarborough police. Contacted for an update on Wednesday, ACP Garfield Moore told Newsday Tobago investigations are continuing. Asked if anyone had been arrested, Moore said he has no such information.

Commenters took to social media to express their disappointment in the Tobago police and security staff at the library, saying loitering at the library has been an issue for three years. Some believed the situation could have been avoided if police and security had dealt with the gathering of schoolchildren outside the library hours after school had finished.

One poster said, “Police need to run them delinquent children from the (Scarborough) library area during the day I always know fight would’ve broken out there eventually with those disrespectful disgusting children around that area.”

Many others asked where were the security guards stationed in and around the library at the time.

Guy’s relatives could not be reached for comment.

In a similar incident on January 17 another Signal Hill Secondary student, Jaden Pereira, suffered head injuries at school. A form five student, he was hit in the head with a concrete object during a dispute and knocked unconscious.

He was taken to the Scarborough General Hospital at Signal Hill , then flown to Trinidad for further treatment. His skull was fractured and part had to be removed during surgery at the Port of Spain General Hospital.

Jaden’s father, Sean Pereira, says his son continued to experience dizziness and headaches and has not been able to return to school. He is expected to have further surgery soon.

His family has begun legal action against the Division of Education Innovation and Energy.