System gun at large
over 3 years in Jamaica Observer
One firearm code-named Geraldo, which is among five guns linked to 10 murder and shooting incidents for which the police have fingered the St Catherine-based Klansman gang, is connected to a cluster of incidents spanning 18 years, eight months and 30 days, a ballistics expert assigned to the State forensic lab revealed in court Tuesday.The expert, who took the stand in the ongoing trial of 33 individuals accused of being part of the criminal organisation, said he arrived at the conclusion having conducted several procedures based on a request from the lead detective on the case to look at 10 firearm-related incidents between St Catherine and St Andrew, allegedly committed by the gang.The "family" of firearms - which have been code-named and given a unique identifier - so far featuring highly in the crimes for which the 33 are facing trial are Ersela (a .45 pistol which was handed over to the police by a former gang member turned State witness), Vanzay, Vanquisha, and Anjanette.Geraldo, though, was not used in any of the crimes for which the Crown has indicted the 33 accused.The expert, an assistant superintendent of police, furnished a ballistics match report outlining linkages between crime scenes and firearms for the tribunal. According to the expert, who said he was the one to review all 10 cases, he had concluded from components - such as bullets and cartridge casings found at the various crime scenes - that they had all been fired from the same weapons.Of those 10 incidents, nine are reflected in the indictment brought by the Crown. They involve the 2017 murder at Price Rite, St Andrew, of Damion Forrester, alias Doolie; the November 2017 murder in Lauriston, St Catherine, of Patrick Tulloch, otherwise called Outlaw; the 2017 murder on the Spanish Town Bypass of Bradshaw McDermott; the 2017 murder at the Spanish Town bus park of Irvine McLeggan; the 2018 murder on Jones Avenue in Spanish Town of Xavier Smith, alias Rastaman; the 2018 murder at Phil's Hardware in Spanish Town of Clive Issacs; the 2018 murder of Gary Patterson at the Spanish Town bus park; the double murder and arson in 2017 at New Nursery in the old capital of Jermaine Bryan and Cedella Walder; and the 2016 murder of Gary Heslop, alias Joe Tex, at the LOJ Plaza in Spanish Town.On Tuesday, the expert said the firearms Ersela and Vanzay, on three different occasions, featured at the same scene. He said the weapons were used at the scene where McLeggan was murdered. Ersela was also used in the shooting of Outlaw, as well as during the murder of Jermaine Bryan and Cedella Walder.According to the policeman, there was a "strong association" between those two firearms.Meanwhile, the expert, who said Ersela and Vanzay are multiple activity firearms - meaning they have been used in more than one incident - said five multiple activity firearms were identified as being used in the 10 incidents he was asked to look at. He told the court that two of the weapons, Ersela and Anjanette, have been recovered and are in the custody of the police, while Vanzay and Geraldo are still at large. All the firearms, he said, are linked to other weapons and other incidents.The revelations regarding the guns and, in particular, the trail emerging regarding the .45 pistol (Ersela), created quite a stir amongst the accused in the main prisoners' dock in courtroom number one at the Supreme Court.The accused, who had listened in rapt silence, craning their necks to see the visuals being presented by the expert, broke their silence when the particular crimes said to be committed with the pistol named Ersela were mentioned. Several were observed muttering to each other.Alleged gang leader Andre "Blackman" Bryan was observed at one point looking at a copy of the indictment while mumbling behind his mask.An emergency bathroom break was also requested for one of the accused in the secondary courtroom.Two courtrooms are being utilised in the matter, given the number of the accused, attorneys, and court staff required.Asked by trial judge Chief Justice Bryan Sykes how the weapons detailed by the expert related to the counts on the indictment, the prosecutor leading the evidence said, "What we are saying is that these are system guns, and one of these, which was tendered into evidence, is the .45 (pistol) taken from Tareek James. It is a system gun code-named Ersela."James, alias CJ, is alleged to be the shooter for the gang and one of several bodyguards for Bryan.The prosecutor added: "The [two main prosecution] witnesses have spoken about system guns, in that there are certain firearms that belong to the organisation which it uses to commit crimes. One of them is the .45."We are saying it is supporting evidence. We are saying the murder at Fisheries, murder of Outlaw, and murders at the bus park... this weapon was used and the evidence for the Fisheries murders is that [Andre Bryan] took the .45 from Tareek James, shot Mr Jermaine Bryan, and handed it back to James who used the same gun and shoot Miss Walder," the prosecutor said.The Crown, however, had to suspend eliciting further evidence from the expert witness following questions from the chief justice regarding his evidence relating to how the components, such as bullets and cartridge casings, from the various crime scenes came to be in his custody.The firearms are named using the Integrated Ballistics Identification System (IBIS), which enables police to store forensic information on bullets and fired cartridge cases, and allows them to quickly make automated comparisons against evidence collected at crime scenes and from confiscated firearms.The Crown is alleging that the accused, between 2015 and 2019, carried out a range of murders, conspiracies to murder and extortion and arson throughout the parish. The accused are being tried under the Criminal Justice (Suppression of Criminal Organisations) (Amendment) Act, commonly called the anti-gang legislation, with several facing additional charges under the Firearms Act. The offences for which they are being charged include being part of a criminal organisation, murder, conspiracy to murder, arson, illegal possession of firearm, and illegal possession of ammunition.Police say the fractured gang, which has a membership of around 400, has caused mayhem in St Catherine and has connections in the criminal underworld in neighbouring islands and elsewhere overseas.The trial will resume on Thursday morning at 10:00.