A "considerate" gunman checked the car for his intended target before opening fire, sparing the lives of two female occupants in Marabella on Monday night.

"He walked by the driver’s window, looked inside, then walked to the front and opened fire. It happened fast," a shaken eyewitness told Newsday.

Kerwin Davis, a 48-year-old evangelist, died on the spot in the driver’s seat.

Davis was about to drive his Toyota Axio out of Jack Street, Marabella, at about 8.30 pm on Monday, when tragedy struck.

The two occupants, 73 and 52, are close relatives.

Davis, of Plaisance Park in Pointe-a-Pierre near Claxton Bay, was a member of the St Ann’s Healing School – a Spiritual Baptist organisation formerly in Marabella. Although the building is now dilapidated, he officiated at different places and events.

[caption id="attachment_949404" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Reporters speak with a relative of Kerwin Davis who was shot dead at Jack Street, Marabella on Monday night. Photo by Lincoln Holder[/caption]

"I am numb right now. This (murder) shocked everyone. No one saw it coming. We (relatives) are leaving it in God’s hands. We will be putting our prayers before God and let him deal with it as he sees fit," a relative who asked not to be named told Newsday.

"Old Baptist people say, ‘When God deals with you, you would wish it was man who was dealing with you."

An eyewitness said Davis had just finished officiating at a 40-day prayer service for his father Anthony Davis, 78, who died from covid19 last month.

As soon as he started the car in front his father’s home, an unknown man wearing a ski mask shot Davis dead.

The two passengers got out quickly as Davis’s foot pressed on the gas peddle, causing the car to move forward.

The car crashed into a nearby drain, and the gunman ran off through a nearby track.

A bullet grazed the left shoulder of one of the survivors who got treated by ambulance workers at the scene.

Grieving relatives said two weeks after his father’s death, his brother Kevin Davis, 35, who had a rare illness, died.

"Davis officiated at both funerals for Anthony and Kevin. He was supposed to officiate at Kevin’s 40-day prayer service, which is over a week from now. He officiated for family and small events. The head of the church died over 20 years ago," the relative said.

"He was married and did not have any children. He was a very caring and loving man. All his nieces and nephews are always happy to see and talk to him. We have no idea why someone wanted to kill him."

At the service for his father on Monday, Davis spoke about the significance of 40-days prayers for dead people saying it was a "cross-over period for the soul of the dead."

A churchgoer who attended the "small service" recalled Davis’ final moments, saying he urged the congregation to prepare for the afterlife.

"We sang some songs before the service started. We read Psalm 61, and he preached on that topic. He was saying it was important for us to prepare ourselves for the coming of the Lord because time is s