Two former members of the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) have raised concern that there could be a slippage in the army’s recruitment process after a soldier, who was allegedly in the company of men of questionable character, was killed by gunmen on Monday morning on Molynes Road in St Andrew.

The murdered soldier has been identified as 26-year-old Private Fernando Wayne Dixon.

On Monday afternoon, the two former soldiers, who were not dishonourably discharged from the JDF, were upset that the military’s good name is being tarnished by individuals who should not have been recruited.

“These young boys joining the work are not being vetted properly. There is a drastic breakdown in military standards. People who are criminals are joining the military. Things are not running right. Many of the young boys are members of gangs and when the military finds out it is too late, because you already have a trained soldier,” one of the former soldiers lamented in an interview with the Jamaica Observer.

He said that during his days in the JDF background checks would usually result in rejection of individuals found to be unfit to join the army.

“Many of the youth nowadays joining the army are from inner-city communities and, if their community is at war, they must show allegiance. A lot of them get caught up in turf wars and the dons call on them to train the men how to fire guns. They have no morals or scruples. If a man gives them $100,000 they are willing to shut their eyes and see nothing. They want money and they will accept it at any means,” the former soldier said.

The shooting of Private Dixon occurred in close proximity to Tarrant Baptist Church on Molynes Road and Sawyers Avenue.

Observer sources said that Dixon, who was driving his Audi motor car, had left a nightclub on Constant Spring Road in the wee hours of Monday morning along with other men who travelled in the vehicle with him. The Observer was told that there could have been an altercation at the club before they left.

The soldier was said to have been trailed by two men travelling on a black motorcycle. Upon reaching Molynes Road, the men on the motorcycle drove up to the Audi and opened fire at the car, hitting Dixon.

Before succumbing to his injuries, Dixon managed to use his motor vehicle to hit the men from the motorcycle, killing them on spot.

Dixon was taken to hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Police said they seized one M16 rifle and a Taurus pistol at the scene.

The Observer also learnt that the incident could have stemmed from an ongoing gang feud in the Maxfield Avenue area of St Andrew.

Sources claim that the men who were on the motorcycle were linked to a gang from a section of Maxfield Avenue called Rome, while the men who were travelling in the car with the soldier are believed to be linked to a rival gang from William Lane.

Michael Phipps, the acting assistant commissioner of police in charge of Area Four, said on Monday that two men who were travelling in the motor car with the soldier were taken into custody in relation to investigations into criminal activities across the Corporate Area. Phipps also said that the police were seeking two persons of interest in connection with the incident on Monday.

Phipps said the two individuals, called “Mushi-Gushi” and “Wizzle”, are believed to be in a position to assist with the investigation into what took place on Monday. They are being asked to report to the Half-Way-Tree Criminal Investigations Branch.

While not accusing Dixon of involvement in a gang, another former military man shared that the frequent revelations of soldiers displaying unbecoming behaviour is demoralising honest and dedicated members of the JDF.

“The vetting process is no longer what it used to be. They seem to be taking a whole lot of people without a thorough background check, and that brings about some undesirables inside the force. From a while now we have been seeing the trend. What it does is, it discredits the army. It demoralises the ardent members who want a career out of the army. It causes stress on those persons and they are victimised. People outside just characterise them as all being the same and so the army, in itself, is losing its status, because the respect that was once there is being eroded by the constant rogue behaviour of some members,” he said.

On Tuesday, January 14, Alex Madden, a former member of the JDF who was discharged last year because of his alleged ties to the notorious 440 Drive Gang, was shot dead in Portmore, St Catherine, during a confrontation with the police.

Police report that about 9:00 pm a team was conducting an operation in Bridgeport where Madden reportedly challenged the cops to a gunfight.

After Madden was shot, cops said they took from him a HiPoint 9mm pistol loaded with six bullets.

Madden, who was wanted in connection with three murders and a shooting incident, was said to have been a top-tier member of the 440 Drive gang based in the St Andrew South Police Division.

In November last year a member of the JDF was charged following a search of a motor vehicle he was driving, which contained several military weapons and ammunition.

He was held at the Cannonball Gate at the JDF’s Up Park Camp headquarters in St Andrew. The motor vehicle he was driving out of the army base was stopped and the soldier was asked to open the trunk. A JDF-issued Burgan kit bag was taken from the vehicle. The bag was searched and a black Browning 9mm pistol with a magazine containing one 9mm round; a black Smith and Wesson firearm containing a magazine with five 9mm cartridges; a black toy imitation pistol; two Glock magazines, one containing 24 9mm cartridges and the other 25 9mm cartridges; 17 5.56 blank rounds; and six 5.56 live rounds, were seized.

Also seized were one taser gun, a pair of binoculars, a laser flashlight with charger, two black infrared lasers with two attachments, a combat knife, a pistol holster, a handcuff with key, a rifle scope, a pistol sight containing 10 Allen keys with screw, a container of pepper spray, a red dot optic sight, a pair of gloves, and six used plastic gloves.