Alleged gang leader wanted men to use new gun on one of his soldiers

Reputed leader of the One Don faction of the Clansman Gang had reportedly given an order for one of his soldiers, whom he believed was a police informant, to get the first shot from the brand-new handgun that he had bought for the gang.

Yesterday the court heard that while Andre 'Blackman' Bryan was in custody, he was convinced that defendant Jahzeel Blake, who goes by the moniker Squeeze Eye, was among the alleged gang members who had turned on him and wanted him killed.

On one of the recordings, the former top-tier member of the gang, who had secretly recorded his conversations with the gang members, was heard discussing with defendant Roel 'Rell' Taylor a new firearm – a black and silver handgun which the gang had bought for $60,000.

During the conversation, the ex-gangster, the prosecution's second-star witness, was heard saying, “A my bwoy dem sey fi work pon it still,” after telling Rell that he had got permission to come for the gun.

When asked by the prosecutor to explain what he was saying when he mentioned “my bwoy”, he stated that he was referring to Squeeze Eye.

“Blackman say when di gun buy Squeeze Eye must be the first one fi dead offa it,” the prosecution witness disclosed.

In another recording, the witness was heard telling the marked-for-death alleged gangster that he had not yet purchased the gun although the court had heard in a previous recording that the gun was paid for and delivered.

“Di man dem get tru?” Squeeze Eye asked.

“Dem nuh get tru all now,” the witness replied.

The witness, who was one of Blackman's drivers, in that conversation also lied to Squeeze Eye about purchasing the gun from a man who defendant Fabian 'Crocs' Johnson had told them about.

Asked why he had lied, he shared that “Blackman and City Puss don't want him to know about the gun, they want to kill him cause they say he was working with the police.”

The witness, during his testimony yesterday, also pointed out that the gun in question was one of the two guns that he had helped the police to retrieve.

He had previously testified that he had told Blackman and City Puss, the gang's alleged second in command, that he had someone to kill and they gave him permission to borrow the gun but had asked him to give them feedback when he used it and to provide a photo of the weapon.

During the playing of the recording, Rell was heard asking what he had told Blackman about the gun.

“Mi tell him sey it feel good man, mi nah lie, di spring a kick inna it,” the witness replied.

However, the witness, who previously claimed he had never fired a gun, told the court that he was only bluffing as he had to pretend that he had fired the gun.

In that same conversation, Rell was heard further telling the witness that the man who had sold him the gun had informed him that he had “12 more a di same exact ting” and some “tall one”.

“From it a kick good wi nah nuh problem enuh, di greatest ting dem a lick gud,” the witness replied.

'MEK HIM BAWL FI DEM'

Meanwhile, in an earlier conversation, Crocs was heard telling Blackman that he wanted to murder the relatives of one of their alleged gang members 'Dudus' who they felt had become disloyal.

During the conversation, Crocs told Blackman that 'Muma', Stephanie Christie, the lone female defendant, had informed him that she had spotted Dudus' sister in St Thomas and that it looks like Dudus was living up there and they could go up there and kill him.

But Blackman told him that Dudus was in custody.

“Some bwoy a guh roun di ting we still affi mek dem bawl same way, dem know what time is it, a no joke ting,” Crocs replied.

The witness, when asked to explain what the alleged gangster was saying, explained that he wanted to kill Dudus' relatives and “mek him bawl fi dem”.

Bryan and 32 other alleged gang members are being tried on a 25-count indictment under the Criminal Justice (Suppression of Criminal Organizations) and the Firearms acts.

The One Don Gang is a breakaway faction of the Clansman Gang.

The trial continues today with more recordings being played.