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Shenelle Reyes was shot to the heart at close range when the gun misfired. Today her family, her school and community were galvanized by grief and shock. Monica Bodden attended the church service in her honour:

Monica Bodden Reporting
The mood was somber this morning as teachers and students made their way into St Martin's De Porres church.

Once inside it was a struggle to control emotions as each student tried to make sense of the tragedy that had befallen one of their own.

Seventeen year old fourth form student Shinelle Reyes was shot and fatally wounded while at her home last night.

The tragic occurrence brought the school together in memory but more importantly - in solidarity as they sought to comfort each other.

The service held was an effort to offer teachers and students an opportunity to share their grief as well as their fondest memories of the student whose life was taken senselessly by a bullet just hours earlier.

For many -young and old - the heartache of losing this young girl - was just too overwhelming …

Back at her school, the school flag was being flown at half mast as this huge black bow hung above the class door of 4 vocational…

Inside her classroom - her chair - was the only one still up on the desk - while her entire class was at the morgue to view the body of their classmate -who they had seen alive just the day before.

At her home on Sibun Street - her family members gathered in the yard. The blood stain on the floor inside the house was still there when we arrived this morning - along with her slippers.

She was sitting in this chair when she was shot.

The trigger man known as -Smokey- was sitting in the other chair - just across from Shinnelle.

It is said that the young man was playing with a sawed off 16 gauge shotgun inside the house.

He pointed it at 17 year old Shinnelle - who slapped it away - which caused the gun to fire…

Denver Davis - her cousin, was sitting on the chair handle beside her.

Denver Davis, cousin
"She told the boy to put down the gun because she doesn't like to play like that. then the boy stand up in front of her, I was sitting right there and then I heard pow and when I look in front of me I just see smoke, then I see Shinelle in the chair, she looks like she is already dead."

Shinnelle was shot once to the chest. According to Principal of the School - she was first informed about the tragedy around 11 o'clock last night -

She was one of the first to view Shinnelle's body at the morgue.

Principal
"I saw her laying in the morgue and she had a wound up to her left chest and blood covered her face."

The young man hangs out by the street side often around that area. Last night, he was called upstairs by Shinnelle to light a candle for her - since the home had no electricity.

Denver Davis, cousin
"She call him to light the candle, the when he came he say that he didn't have any lighter, then I ask Dillon for a lighter and then he throw me a lighter, then I light the candle."

After the young man shot Shinnelle - he took off - leaving the crime scene.

Denver Davis, cousin
"He just run and then he told me not to say anything. He run in the other yard, I think to hide the gun then he ran."

Breaking the news to the entire school this morning - was not an easy task.

Principal
"I was at school at 6 o' clock so I was the one who receive everybody this morning and was sharing the information with them and of course they were all broken up and they fell sad and wanted to know the whole story, I couldn't give it to them because I wasn't there when it actually happen but I could have shared what I saw at the morgue when I visited it last night."

For her mother - all she needs is justice.

Lisa Simpson - Mother
"It's a bad feeling, I just want justice for my daughter because my daughter was always smiling, she was friendly, she doesn't have problems with anyone, she is always happy, whenever she comes from school the first thing she would ask me is if I am hungry and run jokes with me, that the only thing about it. So I just want justice and leave it in the hands of God."

Principal
"Losing a student is very hard for me because when these students are enroll at any of the institutions that I work I don't see them as just students, I look at them individually and for Shinnelle, she is like my daughter and I say that because of her positive attitude, her humility, her respect, she is the type of student that will normally come to school and she wants to know how you are feeling and if she had done anything wrong, she is the type of student that you can scold, you can show her where she had gone wrong and she is right back again in that positive attitude, positive mode and she be herself again."

A light snuffed out too soon - a life taken prematurely -a member of the Sadie Vernon School family that will - from what we've seen -be surely missed.

As for the person who allegedly shot her - known to the family only as Smokey - he has not been detained. He is 18 years old and police say he is on the run.

She was a vocational student and was supposed to be graduating next year.