Police have identified a suspect — who remained at large Sunday night — in the “brazen” daylight shooting death of innocent bystander Belinda Sarkodie, who was mourned both in Hamilton and abroad over the weekend.
Investigators say Sarkodie, a 26-year-old international student, was heading home when shots rang out in front of downtown mall Jackson Square, near King and James Streets at 5:25 p.m. Friday.
Police now believe a male suspect opened fire at a targeted group of three individuals. One of those unidentified individuals suffered a gunshot wound and was taken to hospital with injuries that were not life-threatening. Sarkodie, who recently immigrated to Canada from Ghana, died on the sidewalk.
On Sunday, investigators issued an arrest warrant for a 17-year-old who faces charges of second-degree murder and two counts of attempted murder.
Det.-Sgt. John Obrovac said there is no link between Sarkodie and either the shooter or other victim.
“It appears Belinda was an innocent bystander simply going about her day,” he said.
The latest fatal shooting happened just steps from a party in Gore Park which itself was piggybacking on the larger James Street North Arts Crawl a few blocks away, where thousands of people had gathered.
The chaos and senseless death will stay with a shaken Flora Mason, who said she ran over from Gore Park to try to help after shots rang out.
Mason said she first offered a piece of her shirt to help fashion a tourniquet for the male victim, whom she understood to have a leg wound.
Sarkodie was unresponsive when Mason reached her and efforts at resuscitation were not working.
“I said a prayer and I told her, ‘It’s OK beautiful, we’re here. You’re not alone,’” said a teary Mason, who did not know if Sarkodie could hear her.
“I kind of knew she was not going to make it … It was awful, so much worse than something you see on TV. I don’t understand how this happens here.”
Police said Sarkodie immigrated to work in Canada in 2024, while her LinkedIn profile also lists her as a Mohawk College student.
She has a brother in Manitoba but no other family in Canada, according to police. And locally and abroad, stunned friends and supporters mourned her passing on the weekend.
In a brief message, AuCoin Hadley said the 26-year-old was a “pure, kind-hearted soul” and a dear friend and co-worker.
“I pray her family gets the justice they deserve,” Hadley posted online.
Another social media post called her “selfless, calm and polite.”
Sarkodie was not known to leaders of the Ghana Association of Hamilton, said president Sam Opoku, but the organization has offered, through police, to provide aid to the family.
“Whatever they need, the community is ready and willing,” he said.
A “heartbroken” Mayor Andrea Horwath also weighed in Sunday, offering condolences to family and the Ghanaian community.
“This incident has shaken us deeply. Everyone deserves to feel safe in our city,” she posted online.
The shooting death also appeared to send shock waves internationally, with online outlets like GhanaWeb publishing reports and individuals pleading for information to send to family members in the West African country.
Sarkodie died near a bus stop at the corner of James and King. She is the second innocent bystander cut down by a stray bullet in Hamilton this year.
In April, international student Harsimrat Randhawa was shot on the Mountain, also at a bus stop.
Video from the scene showed officers, some holding rifles, running up the outdoor stairs to the second level of Jackson Square mall. Another appears to show police with rifles moving through the mall, with panicky shoppers and store staff being escorted to exits.
Obrovac acknowledged police faced a daunting challenge given the location of the shooting.
“You probably couldn’t pick a busier intersection in the city,” he said at a press briefing.
Obrovac said police are reviewing video footage from several sources. But anyone with information about the suspect’s whereabouts is asked to call police at 905-546-4925.
