Seven Killed In Police Operations Across St Catherine, St Andrew And Clarendon

Seven men died during separate police operations in St Catherine, St Andrew and Clarendon on Tuesday, while one policeman was wounded and at least five guns were reportedly recovered. The series of incidents appeared to mark one of the heaviest single-day death tolls linked to the security forces so far in 2026.

The largest of the confrontations occurred shortly after 1:40 p.m. in the Bog Walk Gorge area of St Catherine. Police said their personnel were fired on and responded during an encounter with armed men. Four civilians were struck in that incident and were later declared dead at hospital.

A policeman attached to the Linstead Police Station was also shot and injured during the operation. Up to press time last night, his medical condition had not been disclosed.

Investigators said other men believed to have escaped from the area were later pursued. That search reportedly moved near G.C. Foster College of Physical Education and Sport in Spanish Town about 5:30 p.m., where police said another exchange of gunfire occurred. A fifth man was shot dead in that episode.

Up to press time, police had not confirmed the identities of the five men killed in the connected St Catherine operations. They said three guns were recovered from those scenes, including one from the Spanish Town encounter.

The police activity brought traffic through the Bog Walk Gorge corridor to a standstill, with motorists turning back as gunfire was heard along the usually busy route. The police later urged commuters to stay away from the area and travel on other roads while the scenes were processed.

The shutdown affected hundreds of people moving between St Catherine and St Ann. The road was still closed up to 6:30 p.m.

One driver who saw part of what happened said the experience was terrifying. “All along you hear about police and gunmen in shootouts, but this is the first time I have ever experienced something like this. I’m just thankful that we made it through alive,” the motorist said.

Earlier Tuesday, Orlando Nembhard was killed in what police described as an armed confrontation in Crofts Hill, Good Hope, Clarendon.

Reports indicated that Nembhard was shot and wounded about 5:20 a.m. during an encounter with lawmen. He was taken to Chapleton Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Police said they recovered a .38 revolver containing five cartridges at the location.

Another man was later killed in a separate reported confrontation with police in the Land Lease community of Papine, St Andrew.

Police said officers were on patrol about 4 p.m. when they stopped a motor vehicle. According to the report, a passenger got out and fired at them, after which two officers returned fire. The man was hit and was subsequently pronounced dead at hospital. His name had not been made public up to press time.

A Luger 9mm pistol and nine rounds of ammunition were reportedly seized in that St Andrew incident. The Independent Commission of Investigations, INDECOM, was informed of all seven killings and has started separate investigations.

As of June 9, INDECOM had been probing 143 fatal shootings involving security force members since the beginning of the year. Once Tuesday’s cases are formally added, that number is expected to rise.

The seven deaths came after four fatal police shootings had already been reported this month, highlighting the scale of the day’s police operations across the three parishes.