Cops kill two in Waterford shoot-out
Published:Thursday | January 21, 2021 | 12:10 AM
Two men who were fatally shot by the police in Waterford, St Catherine, on Wednesday are believed to have been on a mission to kill, investigators have said.
The police are hunting for a third suspect. Two firearms were recovered.
Residents of Phase Five, commonly called Gaza, reportedly observed men travelling in a Nissan Wingroad motor car and contacted the police.
About 1:40 p.m., a police team saw a vehicle fitting the description and signalled the driver to stop. Our news team was informed that the men allegedly shot at the lawmen and the police returned deadly fire.
The car crashed into the perimeter wall of the Caymanas Park racehorse track, The Gleaner understands.
Senior Superintendent of Police Clive Blair, who heads the St Catherine South Police Division, was at the scene on Wednesday afternoon.
One of the gunmen reportedly ran from the crash site along Caymanas Drive and was later found in the yard of a resident.
The two men were taken to the Spanish Town Hospital, where they were pronounced dead.
Blair said the men are not believed to be from the community and used their death as an opportunity to warn criminals.
“Don’t venture into the St Catherine South Division,” he said.
There was a heavy security presence, including by SWAT and Jamaica Defence Force soldiers, in Waterford in the aftermath of the shooting.
Councillor for the Waterford division, Fenley Douglas, lauded the residents for being alert and proactive.
Douglas said his concerns now lie in having the damaged wall repaired as soon as possible for the security of the citizens.
“It (the incident) came as a surprise to me because as you are aware, Waterford is a relatively quiet community,” he said.