KINGSTON, Jamaica — A man was shot dead at a church, two others arrested on warrants and an illegal firearm seized during a massive operation on Matthew’s Lane and other sections of downtown Kingston on Wednesday.

The operation involved more than 100 police personnel and almost 30 soldiers, and was also conducted on Rose Lane and the West Street area of the downtown market district.

The dead man was identified as 24-year-old Michael Edwards, from Alamanda Drive in New Haven, St Andrew. The seized weapon is an AK-47 rifle with an empty magazine.

The two men arrested on warrants are Mark Anderson, 37, and Dean Lloyd, 25, both from West Street, Kingston. They were being sought for multiple breaches of the Road Traffic Act.

Reports indicated that while the operation was in progress at around 5:45 am, Edwards, who was admitted as a mental patient at the Kingston Public Hospital (KPH), attacked a nurse and security guard and fled from the compound.

On reaching West Street, he reportedly entered the compound of the All Saints Anglican Church, where he attacked a policeman, who was part of the operation, with a pair of scissors.

It is alleged that the cop, in fear for his life, discharged one round from his service pistol at Edwards, who ran to the back of the church.

It is further alleged that Edwards was pursued by members of the military and used the scissors to attack a soldier who discharged three rounds at him from his M4 rifle. The now deceased reportedly fell to the ground suffering from injuries to his upper body.

Members of the security forces managed to open the gate to the premises and transported Edwards to the KPH, where doctors pronounced him dead. The pair of scissors was reportedly retrieved from the now-deceased.

The operation continued, and several men were detained. While conducting interviews, it was discovered that two individuals had outstanding warrants, and they were subsequently arrested.

Police intelligence suggested that the AK-47 rifle was a part of the Spanglers Gang’s arsenal.