Bermuda had seen a disturbing spiral in gang violence throughout 2008 but nobody was prepared for the tragic stabbing of Kellon Hill at a late-night Elbow Beach party.

Mr. Hill, 18, was killed in an alleged screwdriver attack after a group of young people set upon him to steal his gold chain just a few days before he was due to start a new life at college in Alabama.

He was said by Police to be an innocent victim with no gang affiliations — simply a young man sitting on his motorcycle in the wrong place at the wrong time.

The age of the people accused of the attack also brought shock to the community. Five teenagers aged from 15 to 18, including a 16-year-old girl, have since been charged with Mr. Hill's murder.

Mr. Hill's family led the way with an initial outpouring of grief and anger over the apparent triviality of the motive, with sister Keira Hill telling his killer through The Royal Gazette: "You don't care if he dies as long as you get your chain."

Following several days of expressed outrage from across the Island, devastated father Danny Hill, a well-known musician, used his son's funeral to call for calmness.

"Forgive them, for they don't know what they do," he told a packed Southampton Seventh-day Adventist Church, sparking the congregation to rise to its feet and clap and cheer.

One of the strongest messages came from Progressive Labour Party Senator Marc Bean, a community leader in White Hill, Southampton, which has been plagued by gang behaviour.

Bemoaning the "morally lost younger generation", Sen. Bean called for parents to take more responsibility.

"There is a culture in Bermuda among young people which is materialistic, influenced by pop culture and the media and other factors," said Sen. Bean. "It's a vain glory concept to have things like chains around your neck and it's more about acceptance and ego.

"The generation between 35 and 50 need to stop sleeping and take responsibility."

Deputy Premier Paula Cox called for everyone to restore hope by showing they were ready to roll up their sleeves and work alongside Government, Police, the clergy, business leaders and families.

Meanwhile, Premier Ewart Brown announced Government was considering bringing in a US-style SWAT team to deal with violent crime, although that idea was ridiculed as over-the-top by critics including the United Bermuda Party.

The violence for the month wasn't finished as, less than two weeks after Mr. Hill's death, 22-year-old Prince Barrington Edness was shot in the leg in a drive-by shooting.

Mr. Edness was the victim of an attack by a gunman on a motorcycle as he stood on Princess Street, Pembroke. Police believed it was a gang-related retaliatory for another incident involving gun activity earlier in the month in the St. Monica's Road/42nd Street area.

"He's the king of there in the middle of the afternoon. He's an attractive young man but this is his life. He would know well who did this," is how one resident described Mr. Edness.

By the end of August, radio station Hott 107.5 had made arrangements for a high-profile peace rally at Bernard Park on Labour Day.

Led by PLP Senator and Hott presenter Thaao Dill, it was meant to be a chance for thousands of people to make a stand in the face of a month blighted by some of the most worrying levels of violence in recent times.

Unfortunately there was one last twist before August had finished — Sen. Dill reported he was assaulted at knifepoint on his way to work two days before the rally, allegedly in response to something he said on the radio.