A government minister narrowly avoided being involved in Tuesday night’s fatal shooting at the Robin Hood.

Ernest Peets, the Minister of Youth, Culture and Sport, went to get pizza at the Pembroke restaurant but moments after he arrived realised that he had walked into a crime scene.

Dr Peets said: “I got there at about 6pm. I walked up the steps and there were some guys on the patio – I guessed watching the postgame interviews and what not.

“I walked inside and went up to the counter to pick up my order and to my right there were wait staff who were screaming and crying.

“That’s when I realised there was something very wrong.

“Police had not arrived at that point, but police had already been called on 911. About a minute or so later I could hear the sirens in the background.”

He said that his prayers went out not only to the friends and family of those who were killed, but also the staff at the restaurant.

Dr Peets added: “To witness that … I cannot even imagine what that is like.

“I am hoping that the public support the family and support the Robin Hood and that there are tips and leads that can lead to bringing the assailants to justice.”

Police yesterday afternoon confirmed that two people had been killed in the shooting – Micah Davis, 22, and Ayinde Eve, 27 – while two others were injured.

A member of staff at a nearby establishment, who asked not to be identified, recalled hearing a barrage of shots fired followed by two men leaving on a motorcycle.

“We heard the shots – it sounded like fireworks because it was so quick and there were so many,” he said.

“Then we were trying to pinpoint where it could have come from, and I started thinking, could it have been Robin Hood?”

He said that after the gunfire, he saw “two guys on a bike come off the hill from Robin Hood”.

He took them to be the assailants from their demeanour.

“They seemed very calm and just went off on their way,” he said. “Anyone else would have been fleeing like crazy.”

In the immediate aftermath, more patrons could be seen arriving at the pub.

He added: “People were arriving at the Robin Hood and getting off their bikes with no idea what had just happened.

“Then, obviously, in very short order the police arrived and had the road closed off.”

Officers were still on the scene early yesterday morning but had left the area by 10am.

While the restaurant remained closed to customers, there was broken glass on the floor of the restaurant’s patio and the building’s back door had what appeared to be a bullet hole.

Residents in the area said this morning that they were shocked by the shooting.

One woman was returning home from work when she saw police cars and ambulances parked outside the Robin Hood.

She said: “It’s probably one of the last places in the world I would have expected this to happen.

“Sometimes people get a bit rowdy, but it’s not really that kind of place.”

Another neighbour said: “This would be a shock no matter where it happened, but it’s not something that you think is going to happen so close to home.”

She added that she had hoped gun violence in Bermuda was dying down, but that she may have been “foolish”.

She said: “It’s worrisome that someone can go out and do something like this in such a public place and that they feel confident enough to do something like this.

“Clearly more action is still needed.”

A man who works in the area said he would sometimes stop by the restaurant after work and was stunned to hear about the shooting.

He said: “I thought to my self what the hell is happening? It’s crazy.

“You hear about something like this and you just hope everyone is alright.”

Ilya Cherapau, manager of the nearby Mariners Club, said the club was closed last night but the crime would still have an impact on everyone in the area.

Mr Cherapau said: “Obviously we want to have the island completely free of guns and shootings.

“It may bring negative consequences to the whole area. People may be less willing to go out to this part of the town for a little bit.”

Linda Parker, Head of School at the nearby Bermuda High School, said: “Thankfully, we are on midterm break this week and we are very grateful that there were no students or staff on campus at the time of the shooting at Robin Hood last night.”