The Tribune

By FARRAH JOHNSON

Tribune Staff Reporter

fjohnson@tribunemedia.net

THE sister of the teacher who was found dead in a classroom of a local government school on New Year’s Day said the news of his death has left their family shocked and heartbroken.

On Friday, the body of a man was found lying in a pool of blood with apparent gunshot wounds in one of the northwestern classrooms of Stapledon School.

While police have not identified the victim as yet, family members say he is 62-year-old Andrew Valdez, a physical education teacher at the special needs institution.

Valdez’s death was the first murder of the year. A relative is said to be helping police with the investigation.

Speaking to reporters at the scene of the incident, police press liaison officer Assistant Superintendent Audley Peters, said they received reports regarding the lifeless body of a male on the school’s premises shortly before noon on January 1.

“On their arrival, police were directed to a northwestern room where they found the body of a male lying in a pool of blood,” he said. “Emergency Medical Services were summoned and upon their examination of the body, they pronounced (the victim) dead.”

ASP Peters said police are appealing to members of the public who may have any information regarding the incident to contact the nearest police station. He also said officials are currently following a “significant lead” that could possibly lead to the closure of the matter as early as this week.

Yesterday, Valdez’s sister, Kim Stubbs, told The Tribune while the news of her brother’s death came as a “complete shock” to their family, they are comforted by the fact that police are questioning one of Valdez’s family members in connection with the matter.

“Everybody is doing well after we heard that they already have somebody in custody,” she told this newspaper. “I wouldn’t say his death was (a) targeted (attack) or a robbery, but they have one of his family members in custody already. The person is related to Andrew through his father.”

Mrs Stubbs said she heard that a woman was involved in the incident, but said she wasn’t sure if Valdez’s death was the result of a bitter love triangle gone wrong.

“Everybody’s coming along, we’re getting there and we’re getting better every day,” she said. “It’s just my mummy now who’s taking the news hard because she’s very old. She’s 83 and those two were very close, so what happened to him really left her heartbroken and shaken up.”

Mrs Stubbs said Valdez was a coach at Stapledon School who lived in a “little apartment’’ on campus since he also worked as a security guard for the institution.

She said she and her daughter received the news of his death from his best friend.

“His friend was on the phone when he came here and he asked us ‘Did y’all get the news as yet?’ So my daughter and I kept looking at him like ‘What news?’

“So he told her because he knew me and Andrew had a close bond and after he told my daughter, she told me. He said Andrew was the one they found in a pool of blood at the school. After that, we jumped in the car to go there, but after we got there, they said my brother’s body had already been removed.”

Mrs Stubbs said despite the tragic way Valdez passed, his family will always remember him for his “goofy” personality.

“He was the biggest and the sweetest brother,” she said. “And I’ll always remember the laughter and giggles we would get from him because he was just a clown. Andrew was kind-hearted, loving and very, very smart -one of the most genuine people you could find on earth.”