A 25-year-old gunman faces life behind bars today after being found guilty of the murder of Rickai Swan at Southampton Rangers Sports Club.

Decked out in dark clothing and a crash helmet, Shantoine Prinston Burrows opened fire at Mr Swan as he socialised with friends in front of the club, killing Mr Swan and injuring Damiko Gibbons.

Burrows then fled the scene on a motorcycle that he dumped on Spice Hill Road in Warwick.

Forensic tests later conducted on the white bike revealed traces of gunshot residue as well as the killer’s DNA on the left handle grip. Yesterday afternoon, a jury at the Supreme Court found Burrows unanimously guilty of murdering Mr Swan and injuring Mr Gibbons. He was remanded in custody by Puisne Judge Charles-Etta Simmons until the November arraignments session when a sentencing date will be set.

Burrows showed little emotion and turned towards his family as the verdicts were delivered by the foreman at 5.50pm yesterday, while members of Mr Swan’s family in the packed public gallery area sobbed as jurors left the courtroom. The Serious Crime Unit welcomed the verdicts and said that they hoped the conclusion of the trial would provide some closure to Mr Swan’s family.

Detective Sergeant Kenten Trott said: “Firstly, I would like to thank all the witnesses who came forward in this case for their bravery.

“In cases like this, it is not easy to say what you know, but in this trial witnesses did speak out and the verdict speaks to that.

“Obviously, the verdicts are no replacement for the life of Mr Swan to his family and friends, but we hope that they provide some sense of closure to the family.

“This was a case in which forensic evidence played a critical role and we have an extremely well-trained team.”

Chief Inspector Na’imah Astwood added: “When the police and the community work together, we are working together to make Bermuda a safer place.

“These unanimous guilty verdicts could not have happened without the bravery and assistance of the community.

“We still have other matters outstanding and I would urge anyone with any information about those cases to come forward and help us make Bermuda safer.”

Burrows’s conviction brought to an end a three-week trial during which jurors heard evidence from several people who fled the club on the evening of October 23, 2015 after the shooting. An eyewitness described how the gunman came up behind Mr Swan after he had tripped over and fired four shots into him. He told jurors that the shooter was “calm” and was “out to kill this guy”.

One witness, who can’t be named for legal reasons, told the court that Burrows later confessed to him that he had committed the shooting.

Prosecutors told the jury that in the lead-up to the fatal shooting, Burrows and his friends had been in the White Hill area getting ready to go out.

Burrows stated that he could not carry a passenger because if the police stopped him he would shoot and the passenger would get in the way.

When the group got to St Anne’s Road, Burrows told his friends that he was going to handle his business.

Burrows himself chose not to give evidence during the trial.

He was found guilty of murdering Mr Swan, using a firearm to commit murder, wounding Mr Gibbons with intent to cause him grievous bodily harm and using a firearm to commit that offence.

A second man, Taj Browne, 22, accused of giving Burrows a lift after the murder, had previously been cleared of being an accessory after the fact on the direction of Justice Simmons.

• Anyone with any information about outstanding murder cases can contact Chief Inspector Astwood on 247-1739 or 717-0926.