FOUR persons, including three members of one family, were shot and killed by gunmen who invaded their Pleasant Hill home in Bog Walk, St Catherine, Thursday night.

The attack happened two hours before the midnight expiration of a limited State of Public Emergency that for the past month had kept the illegal guns in the parish relatively quiet.

The dead have been identified as 41-year-old Audrey Thomas, her son Keniel McForka, 19, and her 40-year-old common-law husband Waymon Williams; and family friend Shakira Clarke, 20, who was visiting at the time. Clarke, a customer service representative, lived in Lawrence Tavern, St Andrew.

The identity of a fifth person, who was shot and injured during the invasion, was not released up to press time last night.

Residents, who gathered at the death scene, said they heard loud explosions minutes to 10 Thursday night and alerted the police who, upon investigation, found the five in their two-bedroom wooden house with bullet wounds.

The five were taken to hospital where Thomas, McForka, Williams and Clarke died, while the fifth person was admitted in serious condition, according to the official report from the Constabulary Communication Network.

Police said they found several AK-47 and 9mm spent shells as well as four live rounds at the scene.

The killings have left shell-shocked residents of the rural community concerned about their own safety.

"Right now we need some changes around here," one woman said. "We tired of the violence, we tired of it!"

Yesterday, family members as well as neighbours described the deceased as kind-hearted individuals who took it upon themselves to care for a blind man in the community, even building him a wooden house.

"Last night I had my last meal," said the blind man, as he tried to come to terms with what was happening around him.

Meantime, several children in the community bemoaned the fact that McForka would not be able to give them prizes he promised them on Thursday while they were playing a game a football.

Up to press time last night the St Catherine North police had not established a motive for the killings.