G.C. Foster College in ‘total shock’ over VP’s murder

Friday’s shooting death of Gibbs Williams, vice principal of G.C. Foster College of Physical Education & Sport, has left the school community and cricket fraternity in shock and mourning.

The 55-year-old Williams, who was a prominent figure in Jamaica and West Indies cricket, was fatally shot in about 12:30 p.m. at a medical facility in Portmore, St Catherine.

According to reports, Williams had visited the Portmore Hospital Complex to attend to a medical procedure. However, tragedy struck while he was returning to his car in the parking lot, as armed assailants launched a sudden and deadly attack, opening gunfire with chilling precision.

The tertiary institution’s administrator was struck in the chest, leaving him severely wounded.

In a desperate attempt to seek refuge and aid, Williams managed to run back inside the medical facility, where he reportedly collapsed.

Swift medical attention was initiated and he was then transported to the nearby Spanish Town Hospital, where he was pronounced dead shortly after arrival.

G.C. Foster College Principal Maurice Wilson was in shock and at a loss for words when The Gleaner contacted him for a reaction.

“I need time. I am in no mood to speak now, we are in total shock,” he said.

Senior Superintendent of Police Christopher Phillips, who oversees the St Catherine South Police Division, said they are moving to bring the criminals to justice.

“As it is now, we have ruled out robbery as a motive, and we are following some strong leads,” he told the media.

Phillips, who visited the college after the incident, described the mood as “sombre”.

Williams has been serving Jamaica’s cricket for years as the strength and fitness coach of the senior men’s outfit. He recently served as manager of the West Indies’ Under-19 cricket team on its tour of Sri Lanka.

Commenting on Instagram, former West Indies and Jamaica cricketer Wavell Hinds remembered Williams for service to his family, cricket clubs, school, and Jamaica and West Indies cricket.

“Thanks for being a decent human being, you will surely be missed, but your legacy will certainly live on,” Hinds said.

Education Minister Fayval Williams, commenting on X, formerly Twitter, said news of the shooting “has left all of us stunned” and “shocked beyond words”.

“It is a very sad day for G.C. Foster,” she noted.

Meanwhile, the school community and the wider sporting fraternity are left grappling with the loss of a beloved figure who dedicated his life to the development of cricket.

Yesterday’s incident was the third gun attack on an educator or school administrator in less than a week. It followed Thursday’s attack on a St Andrew principal, who escaped injury, and last weekend’s shooting of a trainee teacher, also in St Andrew.

Up to September 30, the St Catherine South Police Division had recorded 77 murders for this year, a fall from the 97 over the corresponding period in 2022.