Just months after walking free from a life sentence, Dantay Brooks, the son of dancehall icon Mavado, is once again facing serious legal troubles. Brooks, who was released in March following the Court of Appeal’s decision to overturn his 2021 murder conviction, has now been charged in relation to a new gun-related incident in St Andrew.
According to police reports, the incident occurred on July 12 around 9:30 p.m. in an area known as “Pon Di Gaza” in Cassava Piece, the very community tied to his previous high-profile case. Though details of the incident have not yet been released, police say Brooks was subsequently arrested and charged with assault at common law, unlawful wounding, possession of a prohibited weapon, and using a prohibited weapon to commit a scheduled offence.
According to the Jamaica Gleaner, sources have confirmed that police investigators are also probing whether Brooks may be connected to another firearm-related matter. The current case has raised eyebrows due to its timing. Brooks had only recently regained his freedom after spending years behind bars for the 2018 killing of Lorenzo Thomas, a conviction that was ultimately set aside.
Brooks, along with co-accused Andre Hinds, had been sentenced to life in prison after prosecutors alleged they and three other gunmen had entered Thomas’ home, shot him, and set the house ablaze. The father of the deceased gave eyewitness testimony identifying the killers. The Court of Appeal, however, overturned the conviction earlier this year, effectively freeing both men.
Now, the attention surrounding Brooks has shifted back to Cassava Piece once again, the same area where both his past conviction and current charges originate. The charges come on the heels of his father’s recent return to Jamaica.
Mavado, whose given name is David Brooks, returned to Jamaica after nearly seven years overseas. The entertainer had a longstanding warrant for assault occasioning actual bodily harm, a matter which has since been closed by the Jamaica Constabulary Force following a meeting with the police and his attorney.
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