HIBERNIA, Manchester — Residents in this quiet north-east Manchester farming community are puzzled and shocked following a deadly home invasion on Wednesday night carried out by gunmen reportedly posing as police.

Evon Gibson, otherwise called General, a 45-year-old construction worker, mechanic, and resident of Hibernia, was killed in the attack while his cousin and a woman were injured.

“They came and knock on the door [and shouted ‘Police, flying squad!’ ” a relative of the victims told the Jamaica Observer.

The relative said that Gibson’s cousin opened the door but one of the gunmen told him he was not the person they wanted.

He said that Gibson was in a room in the house, heard the argument, pulled open his door, and on stepping out of the room one of the gunmen said, “Yeah man, see the man yah”.

He said the gunmen shot Gibson twice, and after he fell they shot him again.

The murder was committed about 9:30 pm. Gibson’s cousin was shot in the leg and the cousin’s girlfriend was shot in the upper body.

They were taken to hospital where Gibson was pronounced dead while the injured couple was admitted for treatment.

Three other people — including Gibson’s 90-year-old grandmother, his teenage cousin, and the child’s mother — were unharmed during the invasion.

This latest incident has increased the number of people killed in Manchester since the start of the year to 47.

A relative of the victims expressed shock following the shooting.

“The community nuh used to this, man. Every man you see around here is a farmer. The youth who dead [was] hard working; if you notice on him car it seh ‘Evon Construction’. I am shocked. When they called me last night and told me, mi drop down. They had water all bout a feed me,” said the relative.

Gibson’s father, Avril, told the Observer that his son was a hard worker.

“He’s my only son. Him a the first pickney outta me back…. This morning I talk to him seh, ‘General, come tek down the decking board them.’ Him seh ‘Yes, daddy’ and see what happen deh,” said the elder Gibson.

“He’s a builder. He’s a jack of all trades. Right now if your vehicle come here and break down, he would drop out the engine and by a morning yuh get back your vehicle,” he added.

He said he believes his son was envied for being handsome.

“Him good looking, enuh. The woman dem like him. Me nuh know if a woman dem kill him over or wah,” he said.

Councillor Omar Miller (Jamaica Labour Party, Craighead Division) said he knew the murder victim.

“He was a community man. A decent, law-abiding citizen, a hard worker. We went to school together and believe you me, I am feeling it right now because he shouldn’t have gone this way. But, we have to face the reality that crime is everywhere,” Miller said on Thursday.

“We the people have to find a way to rid the community of these kinds of criminal activities. I do believe that the police have a lot on their hands and I hope that we can bring the culprits to justice,” he added.