Four dead, one wounded in police operation in Portmore

Uncertainty now looms over the circumstances that led to the police killing of four men and the wounding of another on Cressa Lane, Old Braeton, Portmore, in St Catherine.

Unofficial reports are that at about 4:10 p.m. on Friday, the police received intelligence that led them to Cressa Lane. Upon arriving, a man was seen standing by a gate. The police accosted him, and he allegedly pulled a firearm and shot at the lawmen.

The gunman ran into a yard, and shortly after, three other men came out, firing at the police, who returned fire. When the shooting subsided, five men were taken to hospital, where four were pronounced dead, and another was hospitalised, nursing gunshot wounds.

When The Gleaner arrived in the community yesterday, residents were going about their usual business. They seemed calm and said that that was due to the fact that they had no idea who the men were.

"We nuh see nutten," one resident said. "We nuh know what a gwaan inna we community, but we nuh hear nobody bawl out [justice], so it look like a strange man."

A team from the independent Commission of Investigations (INDECOM) processed the scene.

"I have seen no protest at all. In fact, as you can see, the place is very quiet, very calm. When we try to speak to people, persons just call to you and are pleasant. Nobody is saying anything, but we are investigating assiduously," said INDECOM Director of Complaints Floyd McNabb.