BELLEFIELD, Manchester — Residents and a politician here were left in shock after two alleged gunmen were killed in a police/ military operation and a firearm reportedly seized on Tuesday morning.

A third man who the police said was armed, managed to escape.

Bellefield is located a few miles north east of Mandeville.

Councillor Mario Mitchell (People’s National Party, Bellefield Division) said the community is stunned.

“We are not accustomed to things like these in the Bellefield Division; we are a farming community. We are a very peaceful community, and we have produced great men and women from here, so I want to encourage everyone to stay on the straight path,” he told journalists on Tuesday.

Locals identified the deceased as Jerry, 25, and Javeed, 21, both residents of Belle Aire in Bellefield.A senior police source said at about 6:00 am, acting on information, the police sought the assistance of the military and went to a house in the community.

“The police got information that men with guns were in a house up there. On arrival one man ran with a firearm. Another man pulled a firearm at the police and they took evasive action,” the source said.

Two of the men were shot and taken to hospital where they were pronounced dead.

The Independent Commission of Investigations (Indecom) is probing the incident.

A woman, who asked not to be named, told the Jamaica Observer that the two men killed were not known of being involved in crime.

“This is very surprising. I don’t know of them in wrongdoing, but the one that ran away is the one I don’t know much about,” she said.

Another woman shared similar sentiments as she described the deceased men.

“Javeed was a quiet individual and Jerry was hard-working and he was a churchgoer. I have never heard of them being involved in any gun violence, so this is really surprising,” she said.

When asked about the man who eluded the police, she was quick to describe an unscrupulous character.

“We nuh surprised about him. He is the troublemaker. The one weh run, him is the ringleader,” she claimed.

A man, who asked not to be named, also described the deceased men as hard-working.

“Jerry was a handyman. He worked on houses doing construction and landscaping, anything him get him wi tek it, even little farming. The two youth weh dead mi know dem good, we go school together. This is puzzling,” he said.