It was a case of friendly fire which left a policeman nursing a bullet wound to the back yesterday.

Though no official report on the incident had been released up to press time last night, information gathered by THE STAR is that the injured cop, who is assigned to the St Catherine North police, was accidentally shot during a police operation in a section of the parish.

The incident reportedly occurred sometime after midday.

It is said that a police team was carrying out an operation when a policeman's weapon accidentally went off, hitting another cop in the back.

The injured cop was said to be rushed to the hospital where he was admitted. The status of his injuries was not clear.

A number of police sources, including senior officers from the division, confirmed the incident but declined to comment and requested anonymity.

"Yes, there was a case like that but investigations are ongoing. That's all that can be said right now," a cop told THE STAR last night.