Two men, one of whom police say was a gang leader, were shot dead in what the cops reported as a shootout in Taylor Land, Bull Bay, St Andrew on Tuesday afternoon.

The dead men are Kiman “Kimmy” Foreman, said to be the leader of theTaylor Land, and Oshawn “Rifleman” Morrison.

Police report that later Tuesday afternoon they launched a targeted operation in Taylor Land, 9 Miles, Bull Bay, to locate 75-year-old Leslie Roberts from Bito District whose family had earlier reported him missing.

According to the police, Roberts was believed to have been abducted by Foreman and his associates.

The constabulary said about 3:30 pm, the police team, while searching for Roberts in the hilly terrain of Version Gully, encountered a group of men armed with handguns and rifles.

The men, the police said, opened fire at the cops, who returned the fire.

When the shooting subsided, the police said they found Morrison with a Taurus pistol beside him, while Foreman was found with a .303 rifle. Both men were taken to Kingston Public Hospital where they were pronounced dead.

The police said they seized both firearms from the scene as well as two ballistic vests, a police cap with a Jamaica Constabulary Force emblem, a silver ‘Rambo’ knife, one magazine component, seven 7.62 rounds, four 12-gauge cartridges and first aid supplies.

Police say Foreman had been on the radar of law enforcers for years as his gang has been linked to murders, shootings, robberies, and unreported sexual assaults in the Bull Bay area.

They also said he had previous charges dating back to 2015 when he was arrested and charged with unlawful possession of property. In 2022 he was wanted for assault at common law and illegal possession of firearm at Version Gully.