BROADLEAF, Manchester — Just as Marlon Irwin, otherwise called ‘Muta’, dropped off three of his five children at a relative’s home in this deep-rural Manchester community, gunmen ambushed and killed him on Tuesday.

Broadleaf is located south of Porus and east of Royal Flat in Manchester.

Irwin was reportedly on a death list and had been warned by police to leave his native community, Hampton in Broadleaf and Manchester overall, three months ago after two men believed to have been sent from St Catherine to kill him were detained and later released.

“Muta was on the list to be killed, because we prevented him from being killed sometime in September and we held two men that we understood came down to kill him, but we never found the gun [on them],” a reliable police source told the Jamaica Observer.

In September Irwin reportedly heeded the warning and fled for his safety but unknowingly to the police, he returned to Broadleaf.

“Muta was taken in the same day [in September] and we told him the information that we received — the men were out to kill him, so he must leave the parish. We did not even know that he came back,” the source said.

Police believe Irwin was involved in a gang conflict over a prolonged period.

A police report said about 7:00 am on Tuesday, Irwin was driving his Toyota Axio motorcar on the Hampton main road when gunmen travelling in another vehicle attacked him.

The gunmen opened fire and hit Irwin multiple times. He was taken to hospital where he was pronounced dead.

A resident, who asked not to be named, said Irwin was a quiet person.

“A inna the area here him live. Him nuh give nuh trouble. Mi nuh know him as a troublemaker to all that,” said the resident.

When asked what Irwin did for a living, the resident told a contrasting story.

“You nuh know weh most of the young boy dem do already. Dem find fi dem way of work enuh,” he said in apparent reference to lottery scamming.

“Dem nuh wan do nuh farming. Dem find easier way fi mek money,” he added.

Police sources said Irwin was suspected of being involved in lottery scamming.

Another resident described Irwin as a caring and responsible father.

“Is here him born and raise. A humble youth. A five likkle youth him gone leave. Him bring three of them go up a him mother fi send dem go school and by him come back inna the lane that happen,” the resident said.