A man relived his fear for his teenage sister’s life after shots were fired yesterday while she stood outside their home.

The 23-year-old said he feared the worst when multiple shots were fired at a group of men in a residential area of Devonshire and ran outside to check on his sister’s safety.

The man, who asked not to be named, admitted: “The gunfire sounded so fake to me. It felt so surreal.”

Thankfully, his sister was not caught up in the violence and was uninjured.

The resident said he heard two shots, then several more as he ran to find his sister.

He was speaking after a 28-year-old man was shot in the leg in Roberts Avenue, near Derwent Lane South, just before midnight on Thursday.

The witness said that armed police and paramedics arrived at the scene about 15 minutes later and the injured man was loaded into an ambulance.

It was the first time he had heard gunfire in the several years he has lived in the area.

A police spokesman said yesterday that the victim was treated in hospital for non-life-threatening injuries and later discharged.

The spokesman added that detectives want to speak to anyone who may have seen two people on a motorcycle “acting suspiciously” in the area before the shooting.

Wayne Caines, the Minister of National Security, said yesterday that the island would not tolerate gun crime.

He said: “The key message will not change.

“Our country will not ever allow those that are prone to be involved in antisocial behaviour to be given safe harbour.”

The minister added that Roberts Avenue was a “family neighbourhood”.

Mr Caines, who attended nearby Prospect Primary School, said many of his childhood friends and family still lived in the area.

He added: “I think that what we have to understand as a community is that we are in this together.”

Mr Caines said: “While these incidents seem more frequent, we have a plan. People will be held to account for their actions.”

He plans to meet police officers on Monday to discuss the case and gave the service his full support.

Mr Caines said: “We will put in measures, with reference to education, to give our young people options to avoid the gang lifestyle.

“We will put modalities in place that if a person wants to leave the gang lifestyle or antisocial behaviour, there is an opportunity for them to find an alternative path.”

Mr Caines said it was still unclear if the shooting was gang-related.