A father-of-two was shot dead in front of customers at a bar, in what Police believe was a targeted attack.

Detectives believe Perry Mosley Puckerin, of Pembroke, was deliberately gunned down at Hamilton Parish Workman's Club on Sunday.

Mr. Puckerin, 34, of St. Monica's Road, was killed at around 9.30 p.m. in front of between ten and 12 customers. His death is the fourth fatal shooting in less than a month.

Chief Inspector Nicholas Pedro, of the Bermuda Police Service, said yesterday: "A team of detectives are treating this matter as murder and are investigating as such.

"This is another case where a man has been shot dead in the prime of his life and we are asking the public to come forward and assist us in our inquiries.

"If this were your brother, father or uncle, would you not want this matter to be solved?"

He said the shooting took place as the bar was closing, at "drinking-up time".

"The suspect came to the entrance and the shots were delivered," he said. "We believe the shots were delivered to the deceased deliberately by the offender."

He would not disclose any further details, but witnesses described hearing two to three shots. Asked whether known Parkside gang members are among the suspects, Chf. Insp. Pedro said: "We are working to develop suspects, and lines of inquiry have already come out.

"We are not ruling it out at this stage, I will say that much."

Detectives are currently examining forensic evidence from the scene and officers are to speak with witnesses who have not yet come forward to give statements. "We will be tracking them down and speaking to them about the incident, so we would encourage them to come forward," said Chf. Insp. Pedro.

"The Bermuda Police Service is having to become more direct and robust with witnesses. We are aware there are challenges in getting people to cooperate.

"We would urge them to come forward without us having to come to them."

The man leading the murder hunt however, reassured witnesses their safety would be paramount. "We can put measures in place to protect people who are willing to provide critical information to the inquiry.

"We can work with anyone who will come forward and help to bring a brutal killer to justice," he said. "Any information will be treated in the utmost confidence and a team of detectives will be seeking to protect the safety of those who come forward."

Detectives are also treating a nearby blaze 20 minutes after the shooting as suspicious.

They are assisting the Bermuda Fire and Rescue Service in investigating a fire at a carpentry workshop a few streets away from the murder scene in Rocky Lane.

Asked if it is believed the two incidents are linked, Chf. Insp. Pedro said: "We are certainly looking at that. The fact there was a fire soon afterwards seems to be consistent with the MO (modus operandi) of other similar crimes."

A neighbour alerted firefighters to the blaze at 9.50 p.m. Three fire engines from St. George's, one from Clearwater, plus two command vehicles from Hamilton attended.

It took 14 firefighters four hours to extinguish the flames, using 20,000 gallons of water.

Divisional Officer, Lieutenant Dana Lovell, said: "The building was being used as storage and so was full of combustible substances. There was paint, paint thinners and petrol in there. It was quite a nasty fire.

"It ignited the nearby trees and brush. It was what we considered to be a deep-seated fire."

He added: "We haven't ruled out a malicious cause and are pursuing all lines of inquiry."

Neighbour Shirley Egenolf, of Sleepy Hollow Drive, said: "There were really high flames, as big as the telegraph poles. I was worried that the sparks might also set my house on fire."

At the scene of the shooting, one young woman looked visibly shaken. She refused to comment, but said: "I saw the guy shot dead, I was in the club at the time."

Another woman said: "He was a good person, he didn't deserve what happened to him.

"He was always down here, because Crawl is a safe area. But these boys from Parkside are just going around viciously killing people. People are just killing people and getting away with it."

A male relative of Mr. Puckerin added: "He was targeted because he comes from 42nd. (St. Monica's Road, Pembroke).

"Innocent people are being killed for nothing because people feel they have the power through a gun. Somebody needs to take a stand."

He said Mr. Puckerin was "very close" to his young daughter. "I knew him very well, he had a very good spirit and personality."

Another 23-year-old man described Mr. Puckerin as "a good friend and a cool guy". "He would always keep me laughing," he said.

Meanwhile a 51-year-old local resident said: "We are very shocked. We have a good community here.

"I've been coming here since I was 15-years-old and it's a wonderful club, we love our club. It's people who don't live around here who are responsible for this."

Anyone with any information about the shooting of Mr. Puckerin should contact the anonymous Crime Stoppers hotline on: 800 8477.