ST ANDREW, Jamaica – A stolen firearm is reportedly at the centre of the murders of two brothers and their cousin which occurred on Chisholm Avenue, St Andrew on Saturday morning.

Police and residents have revealed that three men, who were shot dead by gunmen, were being told to return or pay for a firearm which another family member had stolen almost two years ago.

Gunmen posing as cops murdered three men in the wee hours of the morning.

READ: Two brothers and their cousin killed in Chisholm Avenue triple murder

They were identified as 28-year-old mason, Alex Orlando Ricketts; 31-year-old Nava ‘Fatta’ Ricketts, also a mason; and Ricardo Dwight Henry, otherwise called ‘Rasta’, a 48-year-old delivery man.

The deceased were all from 69 Chisholm Avenue in Kingston 13. The Ricketts’ were brothers, and Henry was their cousin, the police said.

OBSERVER ONLINE understands that the now-deceased men had a family member who stole a firearm about two years ago. That family member was killed, but the weapon was never returned.

Since then, residents and police have said, gunmen have been harassing the now-deceased men over the missing firearm, requesting that they return one or pay for the stolen weapon.

Things reportedly came to a head on Saturday when the gunmen took the three men from their home and killed them execution-style at another premises.

Police had reported that around 1:15 am, three men armed with rifles and posing as police officers, entered the premises and took the three men from their dwelling house.

It was further reported that the gunmen led them at gunpoint to another dwelling house on the premises, where they opened gunfire, hitting all three men in the upper body and killing them on the spot.

The gunmen then made their escape on foot in the area. Several 5.56mm and 9mm spent casings were found at the murder scene, the police said.