Hamilton police in Canada are searching for a suspect after what they describe as a “tragic and brazen” shooting that claimed the life of a 26-year-old Ghanaian woman on Friday.
The victim, identified as Belinda Sarkodie, was shot near King Street between James and MacNab streets shortly before 5:30 p.m.
According to Hamilton police, officers arrived at what they described as a “chaotic and distressing scene” and found two victims.
A male victim suffering from gunshot wounds was taken to hospital and treated for non-life-threatening injuries. Further down the road, officers located Sarkodie, who was pronounced dead at the scene.
Police say Sarkodie immigrated to Canada from Ghana in 2024 and had been living and working in Hamilton.
“At the time of the incident, she had been in the downtown core spending time with a friend,” police said in a statement.
Investigators believe the male victim may have been the intended target and that Sarkodie was “an innocent bystander tragically caught in the crossfire.”
The suspect is described as a male with a medium build and brown hair, wearing a black t-shirt with a white design on the front and a large red letter “V” on the back, blue shorts, dark socks, dark shoes, and a medical-style mask.
The shooting happened just blocks away from crowds gathered for a free Art Crawl festival.
Hamilton police have appealed for information from the public to help identify and locate the suspect.
Source: CBC
