Former Teacher Kills School Principal In Front of the Children / 14ymedio, Leonardo Rodriguez Alonso

The center's director, Amaury Herrera Mesa, was stabbed by an attacker in the presence of teachers and students. (Archive)
The center’s director, Amaury Herrera Mesa, was stabbed by an attacker in the presence of teachers and students. (Archive)

14ymedio bigger14ymedio, Leonardo Rodriguez Alonso, Caibarien, Villa Clara, 8 September 2016 — Tragedy struck on the third day of the school year at the Nguyen Van Troi primary school in Caibarién when, at around two on Wednesday afternoon, the school’s principal, Amaury Herrera Mesa, was stabbed by an attacker in the presence of teachers and students. Terrified, the children took refuge in the bathrooms and classrooms, screaming for help.

The alleged killer was identified as a physical education teacher who had been fired by the victim during the last school year, accused of improper conduct at the school.

After learning of the incident, the school was surrounded by police and some children were taken to the hospital, after fainting or strongly affected by what happened. So far there is no official information about whether it was possible to capture the assailant.

The sculpture of a huge crab welcomes visitors to Caibarién, considered a quiet village on the north coast, just over 30 miles from the provincial capital of Villa Clara, with a population of about 40,000 people.

However the Wednesday attack at the school was followed by an attack on a driver, injured by a knife, a few hours later. In addition, a young psychologist was stabbed to death last Sunday in an area known as “the tree of terror.”

This type of violence is not new to Caibarién. In the middle of last year the sleepy village experienced a wave of armed robberies perpetrated by bands of robbers. Their target was essentially the causeway leading to the Keys, filled with hundreds of tourists every week.

In July 2015, the murder of a young upholsterer Roberto Medina, beaten to death with a hammer, set off alarms. The victim’s gold teeth were ripped from his mouth and he was robbed of all his money and property, including a motorcycle and several gold chains.