The police yesterday detained 35 persons during an operation in the volatile garrison community of Common, which runs off Red Hills Road in St Andrew.

One man was also fatally shot during the operation in the community, which has been rocked by violence since November last year. He has been identified as 33-year-old Carlo Francis of a Red Hills Road address.

Police say they spotted Francis moving stealthily between the network of zinc fences in the area in an effort to beat a dragnet which was being set up to nab wanted men. The cops say that when he was accosted, Francis pointed an object, which appeared to be a gun, at them. The cops say they opened fire and Francis was hit. He was taken to hospital where he later succumbed to the wounds.

The police allege that three rounds of 9mm ammunition were found in the man’s possession.

The Bureau of Special Investigation is probing the incident.

Of the 35 persons in custody, six have been charged with various offences.

Head of the Major Investigation Task Force, Assistant Commissioner Leslie Green, said two of the men had been charged with murder.

Two other persons have also been charged with possession of counterfeit money, while two others have been charged with possession of marijuana.

Police and soldiers have taken up residence in the community since a well-organised gang in the area began to self-destruct on the morning of the Jamaica Labour Party annual conference in November.

Police report that 17 murders have been linked to the ongoing conflict, which has its beginnings in the shooting of top-rung gang members as they prepared to attend the party’s conference.

Since then, tension has reigned as homes have been fire-bombed and families have been forced to pack up and flee the community.

The last murder occurred on Tuesday when gunmen shot dead 39-year-old Gary Smith and injured a 48-year-old man during a drive-by attack at the Pools Centre betting shop in Terrace Plaza. Both men are of Blackwood Terrace addresses.