A MAN has said he was mugged at gunpoint in the middle of Hamilton just days before last week's high-profile shooting, but the Bermuda Police Service did not mention a gun was involved in its crime report.

This means that fugitive Omari Gordon, who is at large and described as 'armed and dangerous', is not the first but the third gunman to terrorise the Hamilton area in recent weeks.

The Mid-Ocean News has learned that a man robbed on the corner of Cedar Avenue and Dundonald Street just after midnight on November 30 was, in fact, threatened by two men brandishing a gun. Although police knew the weapon was involved after taking a comprehensive statement from the victim, they labelled the crime a "robbery", omitting any mention of the gun from their report to the media.

This incident took place just one week before Omari Gordon allegedly fired shots at police in the back-of-town area before escaping into hiding.

Police reported the hold-up as "a robbery at the junction of Cedar Avenue and Dundonald Street in Pembroke". Their report to the media on the following Monday, November 24, described the victim as a 32-year-old Paget man who was standing on the corner waiting for a taxi at 12.30 a.m. when he observed two men walking west.

The suspects "crossed the road and accosted the victim, removing a quantity of cash and personal items", according to the police media report. When the Mid-Ocean News asked Bermuda Police Service spokesman Robin Simmons why the suspects' possession of a gun was not included in this report, he declined to comment.

The two gunmen, who left the victim uninjured when they escaped, are described as "dark-skinned men of slim build, approximately 5ft. 6in.- 5ft. 8in. tall wearing black long-sleeved hooded tops and dark coloured pants".

Both are believed to be in their teens or early 20s.

Both the Government and Opposition have spoken out on the rise of gun crime in Bermuda this week.

UBP leader Kim Swan visited the Police Headquarters on Tuesday morning to voice his party's support for the Bermuda Police Service.

"We are outraged by the proliferation of gun use in our society and are concerned for the welfare and safety of all officers, in particular those on the front line," Mr. Swan said in a letter to the Assistant Police Commissioner.

"We in the Opposition United Bermuda Party will do our part to ensure that our Bermuda Police Service receives the support it deserves in order for Bermuda to receive the protection it requires."

The Premier told TheRoyal Gazette this week that the safety of all Bermudians remains his primary concern.

"I strongly believe that every Bermudian, no matter where he or she lives, deserves the peace of mind that comes with living on a safe street and in a safe community," he said.

"I think we can reach that goal."

Pembroke South East PLP MP Ashfield DeVent has urged fugitive gunman Omari Gordon to come out of hiding and turn himself in.

Shortly before Gordon allegedly shot at Police, Mr. DeVent told his colleagues in the House of Assembly that gunshots are heard "somewhat often" in his constituency, which includes the Middletown area where Gordon is thought to be hiding.

As the Mid-Ocean News went to press, armed police were searching the Middletown area for Omari Gordon.