HANOVER, Jamaica – An off-duty policeman and an ex-cop have been commended for their bold efforts in foiling the daring robbery of a supermarket in Hopewell which has left one of the accused gunmen dead and another hospitalised under police guard.

The identity of the deceased man is yet to be released by the police, who are carrying out further investigations.

However, reports from the police are that at about 6:40 pm, the proprietors of the supermarket were about to close the business establishment ahead of the 8:00 nightly curfew, when two men armed with guns rushed inside and demanded money.

The men, who also took cigarettes in the process, were challenged by an off-duty corporal and an ex-policeman with a licensed firearm who were both customers in the supermarket at the time of the incident.

The gunmen fled the scene in a waiting motorcar leaving behind the stolen items, which were then reportedly stolen by people on the outside.

A customer was also shot in the incident. His condition is not life-threatening.

The movie-like drama did not stop there as the police later received a call that two men with gunshot wounds were thrown out of a motor car on the compound of the Noel Holmes Hospital in the parish. The car then sped away, leaving the men behind.

One of the accused men, who died upon arrival, was seen lying on his back on a stretcher. He was identified as one of the men who was involved in the robbery incident. The other man is currently hospitalised under police guard.

Superintendent in charge of the Hanover police division, Sharon Beeput, said the off-duty cop and the ex-policeman, who is a licensed firearm holder, must be commended for their good work.

The police are carrying out further investigations into the incident.

Anthony Lewis