A man was shot dead and a firearm seized during a police operation on Hillcrest Road in Rockfort, Kingston 2, on Friday morning.

The dead man has been identified as 26-year-old Xavier Blackwood, otherwise called ‘Rollie’ a carpenter from Hillcrest Road.

The Independent Commission of Investigations (INDECOM) is probing the killing.

Reports are that around 6:45 am, members of the Kingston Eastern Division’s Tactical Response Team (TRT) were on a targeted operation in the area when they knocked on a grille.

A woman said to be the girlfriend of the now deceased opened the grille and let the police into the house.

On entering and reaching a bedroom to the left section of the dwelling, the police were fired upon by a man.

A cop in the immediate line of fire took action and, in defence of himself and his colleague, returned gunfire in the direction of the now deceased.

Police said Blackwood fell to the ground, and the firearm, a Stoeger STR-9 9mm pistol with two live 9mm rounds, fell to the ground beside him. It was quickly retrieved by the police.

Blackwood was rushed to the Kingston Public Hospital (KPH), where doctors pronounced him dead on arrival.

No member of the police party was injured during the incident, and neither was there any report of injury or damage to any property or member of the public.