CLARENDON, Jamaica — Clarendon police say they are following several leads into a double murder in Portland Cottage in the parish on Saturday evening.

According to police reports, 40-year-old taxi operator Derrick Matthews and his passenger Anthony Newland were shot and killed by another passenger at about 3:55 pm. Matthews operated an unlicensed taxi on the Lionel Town to Portland Cottage route.

It is reported that when the taxi neared Portland Cottage, a passenger asked Matthews to stop the vehicle and he complied.

Instead of paying his fare when he exited the vehicle, the man pulled a firearm and fired several gunshots hitting both the driver and the passenger who was in the front seat.

The vehicle crashed into an embankment as the driver tried to escape.

The gunman escaped on foot while other passengers who were still in the car received minor injuries from the crash. One was admitted to hospital in stable condition and another was treated for minor injuries and released.

Police summoned to the scene found the bodies of Matthews and Newland slumped in the front of the car. They were both pronounced dead at Lionel Town Hospital.