Glenroy Sinclair and Petrina Francis, Gleaner Writers

Several hundred students were yesterday prevented from attending classes at the August Town primary and basic schools in St Andrew, following a stand off between heavily armed gunmen and members of the security forces.

Joan Headmann, vice-principal of the August Town Primary School, said of the 450 students enrolled at the institution, about 20 turned out for classes yesterday.

"Some of the students expressed concern about the shooting and said they did not like what was happening," said Headmann.

Although yesterday was the last day of school before the students go off on Easter break, Headmann believes the attendance rate would have been far better than it was yesterday, had it not been for the shooting.

Mechanic slain

The lawmen, who were acting as a 'buffer' between rival gun gangs, came under attack early yesterday morning from gunmen who were spotted on a hillside in the community. The area, which was quiet for some time, began experiencing hostility since last Friday when a popular mechanic in the community, 43-year-old Denver Hibbert, alias 'Todd', was shot and killed by gunmen.

This has left a wide cross-section of the community upset. Allegations are that the mechanic was approached by one of the gunmen who asked him for $1,000. When his request was not met, the gunman turned his gun on the mechanic.

On Monday night, a man identified as Leon Bennett was killed in the community, while two other men were shot and injured.

Two more men were killed in the community on Tuesday night, as the violence escalated.

"The place is like a ghost town," said Senior Superintendent George Quallo, who was in the area for more than three hours yesterday.

He said joint police/military patrols have been deployed across the community. He also noted that there were foot and mobile patrols in the tense area.

The Gleaner has learnt that a notorious gang on August Town Road has linked up with other gangs in the area, fighting against an amalgamated gang. Residents who spoke with The Gleaner said the area was very tense and scores of children are traumatised.

"As soon as them begin firing the big guns, my children start to cry," said a mother who spoke with The Gleaner.