A newlywed was shot dead in a hail of bullets at the weekend.

James (Junior) Lawes, a 26-year-old Jamaican, died on Saturday night after being gunned down outside his apartment building in Hamilton on Friday.

Mr. Lawes had only been married for four months. He was the husband of Greashena Spence-Lawes, daughter of community activist Gina Spence-Farmer.

Mrs. Spence-Farmer said: "James (Junior) Lawes was a God-fearing, kind and caring man. We were blessed to have him in our family.

"We are praying for God's healing over our land and would like to thank Bermuda for the outpouring of love, encouragement and prayers we have received."

The father-of-one was killed as he stood chatting to a group of men at the entrance to the apartment building by Place's Place bar in Dundonald Street. Two other men were also injured in the drive-by shooting.

One of them, 26-year-old Jamaican Maurice Martin, also rented an apartment at the rear of the bar, accessed down an alleyway.

Mr. Martin's condition and that of a third man shot, 49-year-old Bermudian Robin Stovell, was last night described as "stable" by a hospital spokeswoman.

Police are treating Mr. Lawes's death as murder. He is the sixth man to die in a firearms incident since May 2009.

Acting Deputy Police Commissioner Paul Wright said: "From our inquiries we are aware that there were a lot of people in the area at the time of this shooting. We are urging those persons to come forward voluntarily rather than waiting for the Police to trace them.

"People will have seen the gunman and his accomplice, or have other information that can assist in bringing these persons to justice."

Detectives say the shooting happened shortly before 11 p.m. Two men on a motorcycle were seen driving along a sidewalk in Court Street and then turning into the Jamaican Grill car park.

There they confronted a man, who then fled on foot with the men in pursuit.

As he approached Dundonald Street however, he jumped down an embankment by the Emmanuel Baptist Church, making his escape.

Once in Dundonald Street, the men drove into the Place's Place car park at the east entrance. They mounted the sidewalk, but stopped by the alley at Place's Place.

The rear passenger then alighted and fired 11 shots. They sped off back down Court Street, heading towards North Street.

Det. Chief Insp. Nicholas Pedro, the man heading up the murder investigation, said: "On a Friday night this is a crowded and busy area. We know certain people will have seen this crime. We know they have a good description of the gunman and his accomplice, and I urge those people to come forward.

"The bar had closed an hour before but with drinking-up time there were still people around. VL's Variety Store and nightclubs were also open with customers.

"Clearly people will have seen what happened, particularly as the suspects were riding on the sidewalk and travelling at a very high speed when they left.

"There's some evidence these men were masked but people may still know who did this.

"Even if you think your information is immaterial, please don't assume we already have that information."

He said: "Everyone suffers with this type of incident, no one wins. It's the community which suffers."

Asked whether Police are treating the shooting as gang-related, he said: "There's obviously some rivalries going on but it's too early to say at this stage."

Detectives are eager to trace the man chased along Court Street and are examining CCTV camera footage. "We are anxious for that person to come forward as this is a person of clear material interest to the inquiry," said Chief Insp Pedro.

Despite the earlier pursuit, he said Police believe "one of more" of the three men shot were deliberately targeted.

Some local residents have described the entrance of the alleyway as a well-known drug dealing location.

Chief Insp. Pedro would only say: "Obviously lots of information comes in during a murder inquiry but that is certainly a factor we're looking at."

The tenants of the neighbouring apartments however, say the spot has been trouble-free, until now. One 55-year-old man said: "I hear gunshots around the Island but never expected it would happen outside my house."

Ivan Place, owner of Place's Place, said: "It is shocking. Some 30 years ago there was a shooting here, but nothing since."

Premier Dr. Ewart Brown last night extended his condolences to Mr. Lawes's family.

He said: "Again this year, we have to come to terms with another senseless death due to gun violence."

Anyone who was in Dundonald Street or Court Street on Friday night is asked to contact the Serious Crime Unit on 299 8115 or the confidential Crime Stoppers hot line on 800-8477.