‘Preckeh’ takes aim at the army

Michael Nattoo – Staff Reporter

• 2 soldiers shot

Several months after the death of Ryan ‘Ratty’ Peterkin, notorious leader of the Cambridge-based Ratty Gang, Delano ‘Preckeh’ Wilmot, one of Peterkin’s top henchmen, has taken the reins of the once dying gang, and yesterday, brazenly challenged members of the Jamaica Defense Force, injuring two in an intense gun battle.

Details reaching this newsroom are that about 10:15 a.m., members of a joint police/military team, acting on information, made their way into the Richmond Hill community in Cambridge, St. James, in search of the dangerously ambitious Wilmot.

On reaching a section of the community, in what is being reported as an ambush, the lawmen came under heavy gunfire from a group of men, led by Wilmot, and were forced to take evasive action. Reports further indicated that during the extended gunfight, the high-powered weapons being used by Wilmot’s men briefly overpowered the ambushed lawmen, resulting in two members of the Jamaica Defense Force being shot.

The men subsequently had to be whisked off to the hospital, where they were treated and placed under observation. Their injuries are not considered life-threatening.

CONTINUING TERROR

Our newsroom understands that this latest brazen attack by Wilmot and his henchmen is but an extension of the Ratty Gang’s reign of terror, as over the past couple of weeks, a series of murders, shootings, armed robberies, and other violent criminal acts in the Retrieve, Cambridge and Catadupa areas, can all be traced back to the now revitalized gang.

As a result, residents in the affected communities are reportedly on edge, despite the increased military presence in the area following the brazen attack.

ACTIVE STATE OF EMERGENCY

This latest instance of criminality across St. James, particularly in the South St. James division, continues despite the ongoing State of Public Emergency, which is now enjoying its third extension. Despite the increased military/police presence in some areas, residents continue to cower in fear, as several gangs seem to be regaining life.

The military is determined, however, and will continue to maintain a presence in the area.