Residents cheer after wanted man is killed

Residents in Amity district in St James are breathing a sigh of relief after Jamaica's most wanted, 25-year-old Delano 'Prekeh Boy' Wilmot, was shot and killed during a heated gunbattle with the security forces there yesterday morning.

Reports are that members of the Jamaica Defence Force carried out a pre-dawn raid in densely wooded area of the district known as Goodwill, where Wilmot, who was the leader of the notorious Retrieve gang, was cornered in a makeshift tent.

In a bid to escape, he opened fire on the soldiers. He was shot and killed and a M16 assault rifle with a magazine containing several rounds of ammunition was reportedly taken from him.

Following the fatal shooting, several residents in Amity expressed joy that Wilmot was actually dead.

"Thank God, mi can finally walk in peace a night time now. Because a 'Prekeh', mi haffe a live inna mi house an caa come out," one resident told THE STAR. "That man is a dangerous man, and him patrol the area a night time like him a police. Everybody fraid, because him determine who cum pon street, from who stay inna dem yard."

Ghost town

The resident added, "Everybody glad seh him dead, everybody, especially di woman dem and the pickney dem. Is like the whole area a ghost town when yuh see evening and night time chip een."

While residents of Amity were celebrating Wilmot's death, those in Mother Lane, where he originally resided, were tense, especially with the soldiers carrying out a series of snap raids in the area.

Wilmot was listed as wanted following his alleged involvement in the June 2016 murder of Mark Williams.

At that time, Wilmot was reportedly answering to gang leader, Ryan 'Ratty' Peterkin, and his crony Richard 'Cruz' Anderson, who were both killed by the security forces.

Wilmot has also being linked to the murder of Allister Godfrey in Catadupa, and he and his gang have been linked to more than a dozen other murders including the shooting and wounding of a member of the JDF last year.