Witness says gang members had personal firearms

The prosecution's second star witness yesterday disclosed that four alleged gangsters in the One Don Gang had their own personal firearms.

The ex-member told the Home Circuit Court that the alleged members, who are among the 33 defendants on trial, had shown him their guns. The witness named defendants Daniel McKenzie, known as Biggs, Ezi, given name Marco Miller, Smokey, given name Pete Miller, and Brains, given name Lamar Simpson, as the owners of illegal weapons.

He told the court that McKenzie had a new Taurus 9mm pistol while both Millers were gifted a black and silver 9mm gun each by a man known as Dust Man, now deceased.

"Brains have a Glock 40, he don't give no one his gun," the witness said during his evidence-in-chief. At the same time, he told the court that "As much as it belongs to them, it is still a part of the system. If Blackman [reputed leader Andre Bryan] send for it they have to send it except Brains, he don't let go of his gun."

The former top tier gang member, who testified that he had a close relationship with Bryan, further told the court that McKenzie had bragged to him that he "land a shot in a soldier bwoy vest" while showing him the gun.

The witness, who had previously testified that the gang had lots of AK-47 rifles, also told the court that the gang had its own gun repair man called 'Chemist' who he identified as defendant Dwayne Salmon. He testified that Salmon would travel to various locations in St Catherine to repair the gang's firearm on Bryan's instructions.

According to the witness, he had also carried Salmon to his home to fix faulty guns. The ex-gangster also shared that the first gun he brought to Salmon, "Everybody called da gun de di God." However, he did not say why the gun was given that interesting name. The trial will continue today with more testimony from the witness.