A man shot dead in New York at the weekend held dual Bermudian and American nationality, police have confirmed.

Lamont Mason, 20, was shot on Sunday afternoon at an East Harlem public housing complex.

Mr Mason had been back in Bermuda this year, where he had faced a charge in Magistrates’ Court of possessing counterfeit money.

However, his lawyer, Michael Scott, said his client had been cleared of all charges at a later appearance in June.

The shooting was reported by two online publications: New York Daily News and DNAInfo New York, which said that neighbours heard five shots.

Reports say that paramedics found Mr Mason lying on the floor, face up, with several gunshot wounds. He was pronounced dead at Harlem Hospital Centre, police said.

Surveillance footage shows him getting into a fight nearby earlier in the day, an NYPD spokesman said. Investigators believe the two altercations are linked.

The three shooters fled and there were no immediate arrests, according to authorities.. The report on DNAInfo New York states: “On Monday morning friends and neighbours created a makeshift memorial to Mr Mason in front of the building he lived. Empty bottles, lit candles, and the bloodstained defibrillator package from the device used to try to save his life decorated the memorial.”

Yesterday the Bermuda Police Service confirmed Mr Mason was a Bermuda national, and said local authorities would liaise with police in the US.