26-year-old 'innocent bystander' killed in daylight Hamilton shooting: police
Belinda Sarkodie had immigrated to Canada from Ghana in 2024, Hamilton police say
Hamilton police are searching for a suspect after what they are calling a "tragic and brazen" shooting that killed a 26-year-old woman Friday.
Police are identifying the woman as Belinda Sarkodie.
The shooting happened in the area of King Street between James and MacNab streets Friday. Police were called to the area shortly before 5:30 p.m.
When officers arrived, they encountered a "chaotic and distressing scene" and located two victims, Hamilton police said in a news release.
A male victim suffering gun shot wounds was taken to hospital where he received treatment for non-life-threatening injuries. Further down the road, police located Sarkodie, who was pronounced dead on scene.
Police say Sarkodie immigrated to Canada from Ghana in 2024 and was living and working in Hamilton.
"At the time of the incident, she had been in the downtown core spending time with a friend," the release says.
Investigators believe the male victim may have been the intended target, and that Belinda was an "innocent bystander tragically caught in the crossfire."
Police say the suspect is a male with a medium build and brown hair, who was wearing a black t-shirt with a white design on the front and a large red letter "V" on the back at the time of the shooting.
He was also wearing blue shorts, dark socks, and dark shoes and was wearing a medical style mask, the news release said.
The shooting occurred blocks away from where crowds were enjoying a free Art Crawl festival.
With files from Eva Salinas, Tyson Lautenschlager and Muriel Draaisma