A late-evening attack in Guy’s Hill, St. Catherine, on Wednesday ended in a deadly confrontation hours later, leaving a businessman and four alleged gunmen dead.
The victim has been identified as Horace “Goudie” Crossman, a well-known shop operator from Benbow district in Middlesex, St. Catherine.
According to police reports, sometime around 7:00 p.m., a man walking along the Middlesex main road in Guy’s Hill was ambushed by two armed men who allegedly beat him with their firearms.
The attackers then moved to Crossman’s shop and demanded service, but he was not inside at the time.
The men reportedly went outside to a shed where they found Crossman. They opened fire, hitting him before fleeing the location in a Kia motorcar.
Residents alerted the police, who arrived to find Crossman lying in a pool of blood with what appeared to be a gunshot wound to the left side of his neck.
He was rushed to the Linstead Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Investigators quickly launched a search for the suspects. Around 9:40 p.m., police intercepted a vehicle matching the description of the getaway car as it travelled toward Linstead.
The Kia reportedly crashed in the Rosemount district, and several men allegedly exited the vehicle and opened fire on the police team. Officers returned fire, sparking a fierce gun battle.
When the shooting ended, four men were found suffering from gunshot wounds. Another man is believed to have escaped.
Police say two illegal firearms were recovered from the scene.
The injured men were taken to the Linstead Hospital, where they were all pronounced dead.
The Independent Commission of Investigations (INDECOM) has since launched a formal probe into the incident, as is customary in all police fatal shootings.
