It was an all too familiar awakening for residents - another day, another murder.

However, the sense of deja vu was probably strongest in Pembroke, where communities have been shaken by a spate of shootings in recent months.

Yesterday it was the family of Shane Minors on South Terrace off Friswell's Hill who were mourning; last week it was Kumi Harford's family on St. Monica's Road.

Two streets separated by just 500 yards and united in grief, anger and helplessness.

The escalating gang violence now gripping the Island first hit home for the Minors family in November. Shane's brother Shakai and his girlfriend Renee Kuchler were shot on November 13 outside Southside Cinema in St. David's. Both survived.

There was a similar experience in the Harford family. Kumi's brother Jakai survived a bullet to the shoulder after he was shot in the Camp Hill area of Southampton on Boxing Day 2008.

Mr. Minors' murder marks the fourth on the Island this year. Seventeen people have been shot since May 22.

On Friswell's Hill yesterday it wasn't the number of people shot or the frequency of shootings that were discussed. Residents sobbed and asked why yet another Bermudian father was taken away from his young daughter.

Many were quick to dismiss suggestions that Shane had anything to do with the Parkside and 42nd Street gangs, or their fierce rivalry.

"This isn't right," said one. "He wasn't like those other guys, wasn't involved in any of the nonsense. He's a family man who stays out of it. I couldn't believe it when I woke up to gunshots. I thought 'not again'."

Former UBP Senator Gina Spence Farmer, who lives in the area, said "He kept to himself. He wasn't part of that."

A 16-year-old who lives near Mr. Minors' home stood on his stoop eating cereal as the coroner took his lifeless body away. He said he had heard gunshots the night before.

The community watched as distraught family members descended the hill, wailing with grief.

"This place is too much," one man said. "It's getting to the point where you shouldn't buy Christmas gifts you don't if your neighbours aren't going to be around next week.

"And I don't know what the Police or Government can do. Until a man changes his heart, until he doesn't want to kill, what can we do?"

Mr. Minors lived next to a popular shortcut for neighbourhood school children on their way to Victor Scott Primary.

One mother, unaware of the violence that took place, tried to take her child through the shortcut before she was stopped "You can't go down there, there's been a murder and we don't want the kids to see it it's pretty gruesome."

Victor Scott sits in the middle of the two communities it's a three minute walk from where Mr. Harford was killed and Mr. Minors' home overlooks the school field.

Its 120 students, aged five to ten, live in the very neighbourhoods where nine shootings have happened in just seven months.

According to principal Valerie Williams, students had been coming to school saying "I'm 42nd" or "I'm Parkside".

"That has to stop, " she said yesterday.

"We had people from [the community group] Rise Above, Bermuda come in to speak with the kids and let them talk about their feelings. Our school counsellor has also been talking to the students.

Teachers organised Christmas parties for later in the day to keep everyone's spirits up.

Added Ms Williams: "I think we are like the rest of the community, we don't really know what to think.

"We've had a blessed last day of term and the students have been enjoying their parties."