The police have confirmed that two people are dead and two others nursing injuries after several men armed with guns fired at people standing near a food stall around 6:00 pm in Gordon Town, St Andrew, on Tuesday.

“A group of persons were gathered at a location in Gordon Town at a little stall when several men came on foot and opened fire on them. At the end of the shooting, four persons received injuries, and two died. The injured two have been treated. Detectives are currently investigating this matter from the Major Investigation Division in collaboration with St Andrew North detectives,” Senior Superintendent Stephanie Lindsay told reporters.

Dead are 27-year-old Raymond Palmer and 30-year-old Demoy Foster, both from Gordon Town. The injured men took to the University Hospital of the West Indies (UHWI) for treatment.

To assuage the fear of residents in the area, who are worried that there could be further attacks, Lindsay said that the attackers had a specific target in mind based on preliminary investigation. She added that the police are aware that a reprisal attack is a possibility, and they were looking at all possible ways to protect the residents.

“For the most part, the police who work in the communities know the individuals in the community. They know those who are involved in gangs, they know those who are affiliated to gangsters, they pretty much have a good local knowledge of the community, ” Lindsay stated.

“Once something happens like a murder or shooting of a particular individual, they know that [they] would have to anticipate that there will be some kind possible reprisal because of the persons who are affiliated to the victim and the influence the victim holds in the community,” she added.

At the same time, she said it was too early in the investigations to confirm if the shootings were gang-related.

In addition, she said while it is unacceptable that the country continues to record a high number of crimes annually, the level of murders has been consistently high for the past 20 years. There's no significant change in comparison to last year.

Jamaica has recorded 527 murders since May 22. Still, Lindsay said security the forces are committed to reducing violence throughout the country by “apprehending persons, charging them and putting them before the court”.