KINGSTON, Jamaica – The policeman killed in Frog City, St Andrew on Saturday, was not being targeted by the gunmen, the police confirmed.

Police say the cop was an innocent bystander in a deadly gang war between men from the community, which is off Maxfield Avenue in St Andrew.

Constable Brian Martin, 21, of the St Andrew Central police division, was shot dead and four other individuals, including a 10-year-old, were shot and injured when gunmen shot up a wake in the community.

“We don’t believe he was the target of the incident,” Senior Superintendent Kirk Ricketts, head of the St Andrew South police, said. “It was a gang conflict, and he was shot and killed in a reprisal event.”

SSP Ricketts told OBSERVER ONLINE that the police are trying to identify suspects in connection with the shooting.

Residents of the community have been tight-lipped on the incident but confirmed that the policeman was not the target of the gunmen. The residents said one of the men, who the gunmen were after, was standing close to the policeman, and several shots were fired after him, hitting the cop.

Reports were that about 10:00 pm, Constable Martin was among a group of individuals at a wake in the community when armed men approached the group and opened fire.

Lawmen were summoned, and Constable Martin and four other individuals were taken to hospital where the cop died while undergoing treatment, and the others were admitted in stable condition.