A three-year-old boy was among eight people shot and injured when gunmen carried out a daring attack in the tough community of Nannyville in Kingston Thursday night.

Police reported that at about 8:30 a group of residents were in the area playing dominoes when armed thugs struck, injuring the eight who were among several who tried to run for safety when the shooting started.

"A sit me sit down a me gate with some of me family members and friends playing a game of dominoes when the men them just come out of nowhere and just opened fire on women and children," said Ian Smith, a resident.

Smith, a boxer who participated in the local Contender Series, said his 20-year-old son and two brothers — ages 48 and 52 — were shot and injured in the attack.

Another woman said a three-year-old child was shot twice in his leg and the child's grandmother also injured.

"Me hear the shot them and all a could do was get flat as I heard the screams for help," said Smith. The distraught Smith was worried if his family members would ever walk again.

"How can persons be so cold; the three-year-old child [was] in the crowd and the man them open fire on him," added a woman.

While police carried out investigations yesterday morning, residents openly expressed anger over the incident.

"We need the police to leave no stones unturned in going after these criminals," said another woman, while some of her fellow residents

openly criticised the police for not maintaining a presence in the area.

"From the other day police say them have curfew in the area and the man them carry out the attack just minutes before the curfew kicks in; where were the police," said an obviously angry female resident.

"If the police were doing their job this would not have happened," added another woman.

Head of the St Andrew Central Police Division Fitz Bailey, who visited the community yesterday morning, said he understood the concerns of the residents, but said "the reality is that the police cannot be everywhere at the same time".

According to Bailey, police were in another section of the community when the incident happened.

Last night, the police released names and aliases of seven men who they said were wanted for questioning in connection with Thursday night's attack.

They are Odane Blake; 'Omar', alias Bretty; 'Gravel', also known as 'Bertis'; A man known only as 'Andrew'; Fernando Burrell, otherwise known as 'Bubus'; and two others who go by the aliases 'Drapus' and 'Slug'. They were asked to report to the Half-Way-Tree Police Station.