Dantay Brooks, the son of dancehall superstar Mavado, has been charged with gun-related offences.

In a development that has once again brought the spotlight onto the Brooks family, Dantay Brooks has been charged by the police with a number of serious offences. According to credible media reporting, Brooks faces multiple counts including possession of a prohibited weapon, assault at common law, unlawful wounding, and using a prohibited weapon to commit a scheduled offence.

This latest set of charges relates to an incident on July 12 in the community of Cassava Piece, St Andrew (near an area known as “Pon Di Gaza”), at approximately 9:30 p.m.

---

Background: The Brooks Family, Mavado, and Previous Legal Storms

Dantay Brooks is the son of Mavado (real name David Brooks), one of Jamaica’s most prominent dance-hall artistes. Over the years the family name has often appeared in headlines, both for musical achievements and for legal controversies.

In March 2021, Dantay Brooks was given a life sentence for murder in relation to a home-invasion killing in Cassava Piece, St Andrew, on June 5 2018. He was convicted of murder, illegal possession of a firearm and arson.

However, on March 7 2025, the Court of Appeal quashed those convictions, finding that the trial judge had failed properly to treat identification evidence and that the trial was unsafe.

---

The New Allegations: What’s Being Charged

Here’s a breakdown of the charges as reported:

• Possession of a prohibited weapon: Brooks is accused of having in his control a weapon the law designates as prohibited
• Using a prohibited weapon to commit a scheduled offence: The allegation is that the prohibited weapon was used in the commission of a “scheduled offence” under Jamaica’s firearms/weapon‐law statute.
• Assault at common law: Brooks is charged with common‐law assault – meaning an unlawful assault that does not fall under specific statutory gun/weapon offences but is still serious.
• Unlawful wounding: This charge indicates someone was wounded (i.e., injured) in a manner unlawful under Jamaica’s Offences Against the Person legislation.

The incident in question reportedly occurred in the Cassava Piece area. Sources say that an investigation is ongoing for another firearm-related crime linked to Brooks.

---

Implications & Key Questions

What this means for Brooks: Being charged again with weapon‐related offences places Brooks back under intense legal scrutiny and public attention. Even though his previous convictions were quashed, the new charges raise questions about his current exposure to the criminal justice system and his ability to secure bail or defend the allegations.

For Mavado and the family image: As a high‐profile musician, Mavado’s public image is inevitably impacted by his son’s legal troubles. The media coverage underscores that legal issues transcend the individual and reflect on the family unit in Jamaican society and in the dance-hall world.

Legal and procedural questions:

• Will Brooks be granted bail or will he remain in custody pending these charges?
• What evidence do the police have linking Brooks to the alleged offence on July 12 and to the use of the prohibited weapon?
• Given the previous appeal victory (where his murder conviction was quashed), Brooks’s defence team will likely be vigilant about procedural safeguards, quality of evidence (especially identification and witness credibility) and potential rights issues.
• How will Jamaican law treat the “using a prohibited weapon to commit a scheduled offence” charge in comparison to earlier firearm-possession charges?

Public & social context: The incident occurred in the Cassava Piece community, an area already familiar with violence and weapon‐crimes, and the involvement of a celebrity family member adds additional attention and controversy. Communities and media tend to view such cases in terms of broader issues of youth, guns, community safety, and celebrity privilege or accountability.

---

The new charges faced by Dantay Brooks mark another chapter in what has been a troubled legal journey — from his 2021 life sentence for murder, to the appeal victory in 2025, and now this fresh set of weapon‐related allegations. While the law presumes innocence until proven guilty, the gravity of the charges and the public profile involved mean that the case will carry significant ramifications—both personally and socially.

RIC STORM TV