MONTEGO BAY, St James — One of two men cut down in what the police have said was an almost hour-long shoot-out between armed thugs and members of the security forces in Rose Heights, St James, on Thursday night has been labelled a gang member.

The other is said to have a history of being engaged in violence.

According to a police officer with knowledge of the situation but not authorised to speak, one of the dead men was a high-ranking member of the Young Sparta Gang, popularly known as YSG.

“One of them is a top-tier gang member, YSG gang member. The gangs that operate around there are Buss Head and YSG. The deceased is a top-tier member of the latter,” the cop told the Jamaica Observer on Friday.

YSG is said to be responsible for a number of shootings, murders, and other criminal activities in Rose Heights and other sections of St James. The Observer source was unable to provide details about the other man killed on Thursday but said there are indications that he was also involved in criminal activities.

The Sean Crescent section of Rose Heights where police said Thursday night’s stand-off took place.

According to operations officer for St James, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Lynroy Edwards, during an intense battle that began about 9:40 pm Thursday and lasted between 45 minutes to an hour, gunmen fired at the police from rooftops, trees and neighbouring premises.

He said a group of men, who had converged at a section of Sean Crescent, began shooting at members of the joint police-military team who were in the community. The fire was returned and, when the shooting subsided, two of the armed men were found suffering from gunshot wounds. They were taken to Cornwall Regional Hospital where they were pronounced dead. No member of the security forces was injured during the incident. Two firearms were recovered at the scene.

When contacted Friday afternoon DSP Edwards said: “They have not been properly identified as yet but we are awaiting relatives, or others who can [help], to come and identify them before anything official can be said,” he told the Observer.

In the meantime, Edwards said the security forces were maintaining a presence in the area but “things are going smoothly at this time”.

When the Observer went into Rose Heights on Friday there was a visible presence of security personnel and at least one armoured military vehicle.

A few community members were seen but most refused to speak about what took place Thursday night.

“A the nuffest shot I hear in a long time. It wasn’t anything good,” said the sole individual willing to speak.

DSP Edwards told the Observer that efforts are underway to apprehend other individuals who were involved in the incident, and to recover more firearms.

“We continue to pursue the other gang members and all other gangs,” he said.

He described Thursday’s incident as another success for the Operation Storm initiative. Launched on Wednesday, it is has been described as a fast-paced, high-intensity operation that targets wanted individuals, persons of interest, and criminal suspects within the parish.

Edwards also noted that about 5:00 pm on Thursday, in another joint police/military operation, two women were arrested on reasonable suspicion of being in possession of a prohibited weapon. A Taurus 9mm pistol along with five rounds was allegedly found during a search conducted at a particular premises.

On Wednesday, hours after Operation Storm was launched, two brothers who were wanted by the police turned themselves in.