Up to late last night investigators in Clarendon were still searching for gunmen who escaped into bushes following a confrontation, which led to the seizure of three illegal guns.

Reports are about 10:30 a.m. yesterday, a police party got information that two groups of men in vehicles were firing at each other. Police intercepted the vehicles along the Hayes main road in the parish.

One of the vehicles crashed and two of the occupants were injured. They were taken to the Lionel Town Hospital where one died. A search of the vehicle revealed two handguns.

M16 rifle

Another police team chased the other vehicle to Cockpit district along the Salt River main road, about seven miles away.

When it was intercepted, men from the car fired at the police, the fire was returned and the men abandoned the vehicle. An M16 rifle along with a magazine and live rounds, were found inside.

When The Star visited the scene scores of residents converged and expressed shock at what happened. "Bwoy dem man deh nah romp fi fire shot and them seem to know the place quite well," one woman said.

Both seized vehicles were seen by THE STAR as Scenes of Crime personnel dusted them for prints. The dead was not identified up to press time last night.