UNDER WATCH
…as remnants of ‘Ski Mask’ gang surface in community
…peaceful Trelawny community of Bunker’s Hill on police radar as remnants of ‘Ski Mask’ gang surface
BUNKER’S HILL, Trelawny — The once peaceful community of Bunker’s Hill has been placed under the police radar after it was revealed that remnants of the deadly ‘Ski Mask’ gang have been surfacing in the small Trelawny district.
Head of the Trelawny Police Division, Superintendent Dwight Powell disclosed that the police are concerned that gang members, who were located in Barrett Town, St James, are now operating out of Trelawny.
“The area is of concern to the management of the Trelawny police at this time,” Superintendent Powell told the Jamaica Observer West.
Following the killing of six members of the gang, including its reputed leader, Oswyn Jarrett, otherwise called ‘Ski Mask’ during a shoot-out in January 2017 with members of the security forces, the police high command reported that the criminal organisation was dismantled. Leading up to that encounter with the security forces, Jarrett, a native of Bunker’s Hill, and his cronies, were fingered in several killings and shootings across western Jamaica.
Last week, Superintendent Powell told the Observer West that some elements of Jarrett’s “Ski Mask” gang, now led by another Bunker’s Hill native, Adrian Walker, alias “Lippy”, are wanted for shootings, robberies and extortion in Trelawny.
In addition to Walker, the police have also named Robert Miller, Oshani Johnson, and a man, known as “Oshane”, and “Bobby Reds”, as wanted.
Bunker’s Hill residents, who spoke to the Observer West on condition of anonymity, declared that so far the gangsters have not physically harmed members of the community, but it is not uncommon for them to be spotted in the farming community openly sporting firearms, including high-powered rifles.
“They don’t trouble us in Bunker’s Hill, but dem always walk with their ‘machines’,” said a resident.
The Trelawny police commander noted that during a targeted operation in the community last week Wednesday, there was a shoot-out between the police and heavily armed thugs.
He said while there was no injury to his men, he was, however, unable to confirm whether any of the gangsters were shot.
The Observer West was later told by Bunker’s Hill residents that one of the alleged gangsters was hit during the shoot-out, and is now nursing his wounds in the hilly section of the district.
Speaking at the regular monthly general meeting of the Trelawny Municipal Corporation last Thursday, Superintendent Powell stated that the police will be unwavering in their pursuit of the criminals.
“We have segments of the ‘Ski Mask’ gang that was dismantled in St James operating over in Bunker’s Hill, and I am going to advise them to put down their guns, stop their criminal activities, because we the police are not running away. Our job is to ensure that the society is maintained in a crime-free way. So I am going to advise them and their family members to bring those people to us (police), because our efforts will be relentless in pursuit of them,” Powell expressed.
He added: “We are asking the citizens to assist us with information to rid their society of these criminal elements.”
He noted that a total of 135 serious and violent crimes took place in the parish between January 1 and September 10 of this year, a reduction of 15 compared with the corresponding period last year. Powell then revealed that over the same period this year, there have been 20 murders, reflecting an increase of five over the same period last year.
Superintendent Powell pointed out that domestic murders had accounted for a high percentage of the murders committed in the parish.
“As superintendent for Trelawny, I am having concerns as it relates to the commission of the capital offence of murder. As a parish we will have to find some better ways, especially as it relates to domestic-related incidents, to see how best we can talk out our issues instead of resorting to violence,” he stated.
He added: “So wherever violence is used, somebody will be killed and the other person will be taken into custody which is a double negative for us, as a society.”