By DONNA KENNY KIRWAN

PAWTUCKET — With rumors flying wildly and tensions running high in the wake of three recent shootings, all Pawtucket schools were in security lockdown mode on Friday and all school activities from Friday afternoon through Sunday night (with one exception) have been cancelled.

Specific reasons for the added precautions were unclear. School officials, School Committee members and police were tight-lipped on the matter Friday afternoon.
On Saturday night, 19-year-old Helder Tomar of Pawtucket was shot and killed in Jenks Park, allegedly by Anthony Strobert of Central Falls, who was also treated for a gunshot wound.
On Sunday night, 16-year-old Edelmiro Roman, a Central Falls High School sophomore, was shot and killed while walking near the corner of Dexter and Darling streets, apparently in revenge for Tomar’s murder.
On Friday, family and friends gathered at the Merrick R. Williams Funeral Home on Smithfield Avenue for the funeral of Tomar, where lay preacher Marco DeBarros called for an end to the violence. Tomar was later buried in Mount St. Mary’s Cemetery.
Tuesday afternoon, Central Falls Mayor Charles Moreau had announced a city-wide 9 p.m. curfew for everyone under 18. The curfew is still in effect.
With concerns that youths in Central Falls and Pawtucket might be involved in more widespread feuding, police in both communities have been patrolling near schools, especially around dismissal time. 
Schools Superintendent Hans Dellith was unavailable for comment Friday afternoon.
However, his office confirmed that “precautionary security measures” were put in place Friday at all of the city’s schools due to concerns about the atmosphere surrounding the funeral of one of the shooting victims. Those services were reportedly held locally that afternoon.
Dellith’s secretary, Linda Coyle, said extra security measures included keeping school doors locked and not letting students outside. In addition, extra precautions were taken with any parents or other individuals trying to enter the school buildings or picking up students who were being dismissed.
By Friday afternoon, the Pawtucket School Department Web site featured the following notice: “All after-school and weekend school activities are cancelled for Friday, May 2-Sunday, May 4 with the exception of the play at Tolman, which will still be held as scheduled.”
It is unclear what prompted the shutdown beyond rumors of potential retaliatory violence. Repeated attempts to reach Dellith were unsuccessful, as were efforts to contact several members of the School Committee.
The Pawtucket Police Department also appeared to be keeping quiet about the matter, as attempts to reach the police chief and other top-ranking police officials were unsuccessful.
When contacted about the cancellation of activities and lockdown, Tolman Principal Fred Silva said it was his understanding that it was based on the flood of rumors about possible violence that police had received. He reiterated that the decision appeared to be made out of an abundance of caution.
One parent of a student at Goff Junior High School and another at Fallon Elementary, who identified herself only as Dawn, called The Times to complain about the cancellation of weekend  activities, which included a Saturday gymnastics event scheduled at Jenks Junior High School and a mother/son dance at Fallon.
She felt the decision went “too far,” unfairly punishing the entire school district for the actions of a few older students.
The woman also faulted the School Department for not giving parents more information about the cancellations and lockdown and the reasons behind the actions.
The only event that will go forward as scheduled is a performance of the play “The Little Prince,” which was slated for Friday and Saturday nights and Sunday afternoon at Tolman High School, according to school officials.