Police shot and killed a man in Gamble Heights early yesterday after he "violently resisted arrest" over complaints of assault. The scene turned hostile and two police cars were damaged in the process, police said. A large rock was thrown into the windshield of one of the cars and the front passenger window of the other vehicle was smashed.

"While we have an unfortunate incident, police will not tolerate that persons have taken it upon themselves [to] believe they can damage government vehicles or police vehicles needed to police the entire country," said Assistant Commissioner of Police Stephen Dean while at the scene off Baillou Hill Road south. "We can not afford to have our vehicles off the road, so we will pursue the persons responsible for damaging the police vehicle and bring them to justice." Police said no one was arrested.

The man who was shot was know as "Warlord", "Poppy" and "Nicky", according to residents. Dean said the man was shot to the upper thigh around 6 a.m. Residents said the suspect would have celebrated his birthday today. One of the residents, Emmanuel Joseph, claimed the man was unarmed and "gunned down" in his underwear. Joseph described the man as a good person, and a happy man who always made others laugh.

Another resident who wanted to remain unnamed said he believes this incident will negatively impact the relationship between residents and police. "I think this switched everybody against them because they are doing wrong," he said. "They are supposed to be with us; police are suppose to be our friends, but it seems like they are against us."

When asked to respond to the reaction of irate residents, Dean said there is no place in this country that is a "no go zone" for police. "The police should be able to go into any area and effectively do their job," Dean said.

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