A family feared for their lives after a lone gunman open fired through their front door late at night, shattering the silence in their sleepy Chesham neighbourhood.

The family, who did not want to be named, told the Bucks Free Press they “just want to know why” with a family member branding the incident in Deansway “a matter of life and death” after hearing the gunshots being fired at his brother.

He said: “I was in my room watching a movie and someone knocked on the door.

“I thought it was probably my mum as she was at my sister’s house. My brother was downstairs and could hear him going to open the door.

“Once he opened the door, I heard two to three really loud gun shots and could hear my brother shouting for help from my dad and older brother.

“Halfway down the steps, I saw my brother come back in and tell me someone tried shooting him.

“We quickly called the police and had a quick look outside to see what was going on but he was in and out in seconds.”

Shocked residents described hearing “fireworks” and “loud bangs” that evening, with a large crowd gathering in the street after the shooting.

A manhunt is now underway.

The family member added: “Everyone’s question is why, what could be the reason. Once you know the reason maybe you’re a bit more relieved but we’re still in shock and fear.

“This has made us more wary of opening the door.

“My mum wants to stay here because we’ve done a lot of work on this house and it’s our home. We’ve installed a camera here now at the top by the police and want one outside too.

“We have become more vigilant in opening the door.

“It was really scary, you don’t really expect these kinds of things [to happen], especially here, especially to our house because we’ve never experienced stuff like this.

“It’s a matter of life and death – really scary.

“Everyone’s in deep shock. We have lived here for a very long time and have never had any problems.”