A Warwick neighbourhood was still reeling last night after a man was injured in a brazen ride-by shooting outside the Swizzle on South Shore pub.

It?s thought the attack, which led to an 18-year-old being rushed to hospital after being hit in the upper chest/arm area, was part of a turf war between rival gangs.

Source said there was a clash earlier that night between town and country gangs at Southampton Rangers while there was also trouble at a West End nightspot on Father?s Day.

Neighbours spoke about a fight happening near the Swizzle on South Shore the night before the shooting while there was also trouble in the bar that night said one Police source.

The victim was still in hospital last night after being hit at close range before the masked attacker sped off towards town on the back of a motorbike with an accomplice.

The victim had been standing with three other men on a grass verge at the junction of South Road and Dunscombe Road at 11.40 p.m on Thursday night when he was shot at by the gunman who was no more than 20 feet away.

Police sources believe each of the four men could have been the intended target of the shooting.

The spot is a popular hang out for Ord Road gang members while the bar was packed inside and out with both tourists and locals.

One bullet missed the victim and went through a nearby metal shipping container. Residents and onlookers recall three shots being fired.

Staff at the Swizzle on South Shore, which used to be called Paw Paws and only re-opened a month ago after a revamp and name change, yesterday spoke of their shock in the wake of the late-night shooting.

Staff, who arrived at work yesterday to find the area taped off as forensic officers searched for clues, said there had been trouble in the area before but nothing on this scale.

One employee said: ?I worked 9-6 yesterday. I?m just glad I clocked off when I did.?

He said he was not surprised about the shooting.

?This area has always been trouble, even when it was Paw Paws. That?s because of the area it?s in. It doesn?t look that bad, but it is.?

Another staff member, who has been at the site for seven years, was working inside when violence flared outside.

He said he heard three shots before a customer raced inside to raise the alarm. ?They said: ?There?s been a shooting?.?

He admitted he was worried by the attack and said there was a drug arrest down the road recently. He added: ?There?s a lot of ignorance around here.?

Meanwhile, a female worker said the nightspot would be closed all Friday as the Police investigation continued. ?This area attracts rival gangs but this is crazy.?

One man living near the restaurant told that he was dozing when he heard three loud gunshots. ?They were loud,? he said. ?It certainly wasn?t a car backfiring.?

Another Dunscombe Road resident said she heard ?bang, bang, bang?, while her husband said he was not surprised by what happened.

Members of the Forensic Support Unit probed area while a stretch of South Road directly outside the pub was closed off yesterday morning while the area was searched for clues.

Minister of Labour, Home Affairs and Public Safety Randy Horton said he was appalled by the incident which he said is being fully investigated by seven officers.

?So that the public can feel comfortable going to events taking place over the weekend ? there are several events with large numbers of people there ? there will be an increased Police presence to be able to ensure that the events take place in a safe way.

?We will have extra Police out to be prepared for any such retaliation. There will be sufficient Police.?

The Minister said was not sure whether the shooting victim was a gang member or an unlucky bystander.

Police Commissioner George Jackson said: ?It is very early yet at this time. We don?t know the motives so we can?t speculate.?

Gun crime is rare in Bermuda but Police are no nearer to cracking the triple shooting on Court Street in April where a women and two men needed surgery for bullet wounds after an attacker opened fire in the Swinging Doors night club.

In January 2003 a 15-year-old schoolboy was hit in the foot when gunshots were fired outside the Warwick home of acquitted murder accused Jahni Everett Bean.

And Police never solved the murder of college student Shaundae Jones, also from Warwick, who died from a single shotgun blast to the chest outside a nightclub in Dockyard later that year.

Anyone with information on Thursday night?s shooting should call Chief Inspector Tracy Adams on 299 4315 or call the confidential Crimestoppers hotline on 1 800 623 8477.