‘Munga Is An Honorable Citizen,’ Attorney Says After Man With ‘Munga’ Alias Arrested

Munga Honorable’s attorney-at-law Christopher Townsend has shot down online chatter that the Dancehall deejay has been arrested and charged with assault.

“The ‘Munga’ that was arrested is not my client, Munga Honorable the artist. Munga Honorable is an honourable , law-abiding citizen and the report caused his family a lot of consternation but I want to assure his fans and the public that it is not the artiste,” Townsend told DancehallMag.

On Friday, a Jamaica Observer article titled “‘Munga’ charged with assault, illegal possession of firearm” reported the arrest of a man with the alias, Munga. Detectives in the St Andrew South Division had charged 39-year-old Derron Shand, otherwise called ‘Munga’, with assault at common law and illegal possession of a firearm following an incident in his community on Sunday, September 26, 2021.

Munga Honorable responded to the report in an Instagram comment, pointing out that his concerned fans had mistakenly believed it was him.

“So sad to see Mr Shand was caught with an illegal firearm with such high crime rate in Jamaica today,” he began.

“However, my fans are concern thinking it’s me Damion Rhoden a.k.a Munga Honorable and I would just like to use this medium to clarify that am well doing fine, free and living the best life with my family as as a law abiding citizen.”

Meanwhile, Munga Honorable is currently facing trial for murder, but the case has been stuck in “case management” for months.

He was charged in connection with the February 2017 murder of Cleveland Smith, who was shot dead along Molynes Road, Kingston 20.  According to the police report, it is alleged that Smith was accosted by a group of men, one of whom was reportedly armed with a gun, at a dance in the Ackee Walk community of St Andrew. An altercation ensued between them during which Smith was shot. He was then rushed to the Kingston Public Hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Earlier this year, Munga was granted a variation of his bail conditions in order to permit his travel to Africa for several performances.

He is known for songs such as In My Arms, Nah Mad Ova No Gal, Flippin Rhymes, and Bad From Me Born.