The police have indicated that a teenage boy, who was among the four males fatally shot in Central Village, St. Catherine is a high ranking gang member and murder suspect.

The four males allegedly engaged cops in a shoot out during an operation in the community this morning (March 9).

The boy has been identified as sixteen-year-old Deandre Channer, otherwise called ‘Little D’, a high school student of McGregor Gully, Mountain View in Kingston 3.

Police said Channer, who is allegedly known to be a high ranking member of the Top Burgher Gully gang, was a suspect in the Kingston East murder of Ricardo Taylor, on February 16.

Police also indicated that another one of the men killed – twenty-one-year-old Romario Brewster, otherwise called ‘Mari’ of Rollington Town, Kingston 3 – is also a high ranking member of the Top Burgher Gully gang. Police said at the time of Brewster’s death, he was out on bail on firearm-related charges and was also a suspect in the same Ricardo Taylor murder case.

The other two deceased males were identified as twenty-four-year-old Patrick Brown, otherwise called ‘Welsh’, a Labourer of Zambia District, Central Village, St. Catharine and twenty-two-year-old Nigel Adams, otherwise called ‘Baja’ or ‘Chuku’ of Sarah Street, Kingston 4.

Police say Adams was wanted for murder and shooting in the Kingston Central police division.

Head of the St. Catherine South police division, Senior Superintendent Christopher Phillips said lawmen were on an operation when gunmen opened gunfire at them.

The police team returned fire and the four men were later seen suffering from gunshot wounds.

They were taken to hospital where they were pronounced dead.

The Independent Commission of Investigations is probing the incident.