ST JAMES, Jamaica— Police are on the hunt for two suspects, one of whom reportedly engaged the cops in a shootout when they responded to the scene of a triple murder on King Street in Montego Bay, St James on Tuesday.

Two firearms were reportedly seized following the melee.

The suspects have been identified as John Roach and Kasheem Lewis. Roach is also a person of interest in a previous shooting incident.

They are wanted in connection with the killing of 26-year-old Rashaun Antanio Williams; 17-year-old student Jaydon Verrol Bennett; and 62-year-old fisherman David West, all of King Street addresses in the parish.

According to Commander of the St James Police Division Superintendent (SP) Eron Samuels, lawmen received reports of a shooting in the Upper King Street area around 5:00pm. The police responded immediately but a shootout with Roach ensued when they got to the scene. The suspect escaped in a gully, leaving behind two weapons, SP Samuels said.

During an investigation of the scene Williams was found on the main road with gunshot wounds to the left side of his face and upper body, while Bennett was found on a bridge with gunshot wounds to the right side of his neck. West had gunshot wounds to the right side of his face and was found in his yard.

The victims were taken to the hospital where they were pronounced dead.

“Operations are still ongoing to capture John Roach. The team is currently in the space and we will continue pursuing him until he is found,” SP Samuels said on Tuesday following the incident.

He added that a search of the gully began on Tuesday night and would have continued until Wednesday morning.

“We believe he had dived into the gully and we are not sure at this time if he was shot and injured or received any other injuries following him jumping several feet down into the gully,” Samuels said.

“We will continue to pursue John Lee Roach and any associates of his to ensure we bring back safety and security to the Canterbury community and the wider St James,” he added.