Two members of the Opposition PNP say they are searching for answers from the police, following the killing of a man in the Goldsmith Villa area of August Town in St. Andrew.

The man, Marvin Markland, otherwise known as Papa, was cut down by the police during a reported confrontation. He was the reputed don of August Town.

The police say an illegal firearm was seized.

PNP caretaker for Eastern St. Andrew, Patricia Duncan Sutherland, spoke to the media on Wednesday.

Patricia Duncan Sutherland, PNP caretaker for Eastern St. Andrew.

Councillor for the Papine Division, Darrington Ferguson, told the media that while he was unsure about who was shot by the police, it was still a sad day for residents of August Town.

Darrington Ferguson, PNP councillor for the Papine Division in Eastern St. Andrew.

Marvin Markland had a fearsome reputation in Kingston 6 and other sections of the Corporate Area.

In 2019, he was arrested and charged for the murder of Omar Johnson, who was shot to death on New Year’s Day. He was eventually freed of that charge.

Last year, Markland, who also went by the name Kevin Powell, was named as a person of interest by the police in connection with a flare-up of violent crime in the Corporate Area.

Meanwhile, the Independent Commission of Investigations, INDECOM, says it has launched an investigation into the circumstances of the fatal shooting of Marvin Markland in the Goldsmith Villa area of August Town.

INDECOM says its team was advised that a male was shot and injured during a confrontation with members of the security forces, and the man was later pronounced dead at hospital.

The commission says a firearm was reported as recovered from the scene.

INDECOM says residents have expressed concern regarding the circumstances of the shooting, which it says will also be examined during the investigation.

The commission is appealing to anyone who witnessed the incident to contact its office at 876-968-1932.

INDECOM says since the start of the year, 54 people have been shot and killed by the security forces. Ten of those cases occurred in May.