MONTEGO BAY, St James — A man who allegedly used a gun to commit murder while on bail for a firearm-related matter was denied bail when he appeared in the St James Parish Court last Wednesday.

“The circumstances are such that I am not minded to offer you bail at this time…You will be taken back to court on January 22, 2025… You are remanded in custody until then,” presiding judge Natiesha Fairclough-Hylton told Akeem Burnett before he was taken back to the holding area.

Burnett, a St James resident, is accused of killing Nelson Hayles.

According to the allegations, around 9:00 am on October 24 of this year, Hayles, along with his common-law wife and another man, travelled to Campbell’s Lane in St James. Soon after, a group of five armed men arrived in a vehicle and positioned themselves at a nearby residence. They then advanced towards the house where Hayles was and opened fire.

The reports are that he sustained gunshot wounds to his upper body. They also fired at the second man, who fled unharmed, as did the woman.

After that, the five men allegedly went to a nearby house and opened fire but no one was harmed.

It is said that the men then left the location and proceeded to Katon Lane, where a team of soldiers was on duty. A shootout ensued between the soldiers and the five men. The allegations are that Burnett was pursued to a house where the soldiers managed to capture him and took a firearm from him.

The police were summoned and, in the company of the soldiers, they made their way to the residence where Hayles was discovered lying in a pool of blood.

Burnett was identified as one of the five shooters by two witnesses on the scene.

He was subsequently arrested and charged.