Rayon McNish, the higgler who is charged with a plethora of offences relative to the shooting death of another man who allegedly stole apples from a property in Belfield Pen, St Mary earlier this month, was on Thursday granted $300,000 bail in court.
McNish, otherwise called ‘Roger Blacks’, of Belfield Pen, made his first appearance in the St Mary Parish Court.
The accused is charged with the murder of 22-year-old Rayon Prendergast.
Another man was involved in the shooting incident on Thursday, February, 8.
The other charges that were laid against McNish are: two counts of using a firearm to commit a felony; two counts of possession of prohibited weapon; two counts of unauthorised possession of ammunition; dealing in prohibited weapon; two counts of possession of a firearm with intent to injure; two counts of possession of ammunition with intent to injure; and shooting with intent.
It alleged that two men went and picked apples from a tree on a property that is reportedly leased by McNish, who later confronted them.
During the bail hearing, McNish’s attorney, Hugh Wildman, argued that the accused is not at flight risk.
The attorney said it was the accused who showed the cops where he had the gun that was used in the incident, and handed it over to them.
Further, Wildman said the accused man was of the honest view that his (McNish’s) life, and those of his family members, were in danger, due to the threat that Prendergast was believed to have posed.
A police investigator told the presiding judge that Prendergast was known to law enforcers as a ‘bad man’, while the accused was not known to be a violent individual, and was of good character.
Bail was subsequently granted with reporting conditions attached.
Reports are that about 2:45 pm on February 8, Prendergast and another man went to a property in the area to pick apples, and upon leaving, they were confronted by McNish.
It is alleged that McNish pulled a firearm from his waistband and opened fire, hitting Prendergast.
The police were alerted, and Prendergast was taken to hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
The other man escaped injuries.
The incident was reported to the police and during the investigation, an operation was carried out at McNish’s premises, where a 9mm Springfield Armoury firearm, a magazine, and twenty-eight 9mm rounds of ammunition were found.
McNish was subsequently arrested and later charged.
