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Hamilton Spectator
4 days ago
- Hamilton Spectator
‘Innocent bystander' Belinda Sarkodie gunned down at Jackson Square
Hamilton police say the 26-year-old woman killed in a chaotic downtown shooting Friday appears to have been another innocent bystander caught in the crossfire. In a Saturday media conference, investigators say Belinda Sarkodie was heading home from visiting a friend downtown when shots rang out in front of downtown Jackson Square mall, near King and James streets around 5:25 p.m. A male victim suffered a gunshot wound and was taken to hospital with injuries that were not life-threatening — but Sarkodie, who recently immigrated to Canada from Ghana, died at the scene. Police believe the unidentified male victim may have been the intended target, but Detective Staff-Sergeant John Obrovac said there is no known connection between Sarkodie and either the shooter or other victim. 'It appears Belinda was an innocent bystander simply going about her day,' he said. Hamilton police Det. Sgt. John Obrovac gives an update on the fatal shooting downtown Friday night. 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. Police hope outrage over shooting will motivate those who have information about other shootings Friday night, police responded in force to the busy corner of King and James streets for reports of shots fired. Jackson Square and a swath of King were closed as police searched for a suspect last seen fleeing north on James Street North — a corridor bustling with thousands of people visiting outdoor artisan booths for an Art Crawl event just 500 metres away from the shooting scene. Suspect still at large, last seen fleeing north on James Street North. The suspect is still at large, said Obrovac, who is appealing for any witnesses with video footage of the area to contact police. On Saturday police released a description of the suspect: a white 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. He had blue shorts, dark socks and shoes and was wearing a dark, medical-style mask. Obrovac said police had to cast a wide net during the 'chaotic' aftermath of the shooting, given the nearby busy events and the size of the mall. Videos from the scene showed officers, some holding rifles, running up the outdoor stairs to the second level of Jackson Square mall. Michelle Read watched the chaos unfold in disbelief from across the James and King street intersection in Gore Park, where she was working at a 'Park Crawl' event organized for downtown businesses. Read said adults and a few children were just starting to use the outdoor games when the shooting happened. Police will 'leave no stone unturned' until suspects are found 'It was maybe half an hour after we set up, that's when we heard the gunshots,' she recalled late Friday night. 'At first some said, 'that must be firecrackers' — but then we saw people kneeling beside someone at the bus stop.' A stunned Read watched as the crowded area around the intersection exploded into confusion. There was yelling and screaming. Some people ran away; others moved closer to see what was happening. 'The crowd was pretty big and then all these police cars and ambulances start showing up.' Shooting victim Belinda Sarkodie appears to have been an innocent bystander, police say. Read was told to start quickly shutting down her outdoor games event. By the time she was done, police were crawling over Jackson Square and she saw some people and staff seemingly evacuated — or at least choosing to leave in waves — from the mall and adjoining Sheraton hotel. 'It was just really crazy everywhere,' said Read. 'It felt a bit unreal, with yellow tape everywhere and then hearing someone died, right there.' The area around the intersection was closed for much of the night, but was open again as of mid-morning Saturday. The closure of parts of King, MacNab and the intersection at James did not shut down the Art Crawl event on James North, where hundreds of people continued to mill about throughout the evening — including many unaware of what had transpired just a few blocks south. Anyone with information or dashcam footage of the shooting is asked to contact Det. Michael Ebert of the homicide unit at 905-546-4167. More to come. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
CTV News
4 days ago
- CTV News
‘Innocent bystander': Hamilton police identify woman killed in downtown shooting
Belinda Sarkodie, 26, was killed in a shooting in downtown Hamilton on Friday, July 11, 2025. (Hamilton Police Service handout) Belinda Sarkodie was on her way home after spending time with her friend in downtown Hamilton when she was shot and killed on Friday afternoon, Hamilton police say. 'Based on the information we have so far, it appears Belinda was an innocent bystander simply going about her day,' Det. Sgt. John Obrovac said during a news conference on Saturday afternoon. The shooting occurred at the corner of King Street East and James Street North, outside Jackson Square mall, shortly before 5:30 p.m. Obrovac said officers encountered a 'chaotic' scene when they arrived. They first found a male victim with a non-life-threatening gunshot wound. Obrovac said the 26-year-old Sarkodie was located further down King Street East, suffering from a gunshot wound. She was pronounced dead at the scene, while the male victim was taken to hospital. Hamilton shooting Police are on the scene of a fatal shooting in downtown Hamilton on Friday, July 11, 2025. (Jacob Estrin/ CTV News) Obrovac said the suspect, who fled the scene on foot, is described as a white male with a medium build and brown hair and was last seen wearing a black T-shirt with a white design on the front and a letter 'V' on the back, blue shorts, dark socks, dark shoes, and a dark-coloured medical-style mask. Investigators believe the male victim was the intended target, and may have been known to the suspect, Obrovac said, adding that the motive is still unknown. Victim immigrated to Canada from Ghana 'There is no information to suggest that the suspect and Belinda Sarkodie were known to each other or that she was targeted,' the detective said. 'There is nothing to suggest that she knew anybody involved,' he added. Obrovac said Sarkodie moved to Canada from Ghana just last year. She was living and working in Hamilton. 'At the time of the incident, she was spending time with a friend in the downtown core,' Obrovac said. He noted that Sarkodie has a brother in Manitoba. When asked whether the male victim is co-operating with investigators, Obrovac said he has spoken to officers but has not been able to identify the shooter. The detective was also asked for a comment about the Friday shooting being the second incident this year that left an innocent bystander dead. In April, a 21-year-old Mohawk College student was caught in a crossfire and fatally shot. 'All I can tell you is that we are using every available resource to try to identify and locate the person involved, the suspect, and solve this obviously tragic crime,' the detective said. Obrovac said officers continue to canvass for witnesses and surveillance video from the mall and nearby businesses. 'We're still obviously in the early stages. We are collecting a lot of video,' he said. 'There's a lot of people that are helping us, and we're in the process of processing all that video right now.' Anyone with information is asked to contact homicide investigators at 905-546-4167 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-8477.
CTV News
4 days ago
- CTV News
Woman killed in downtown Hamilton shooting was an ‘innocent bystander': police
Belinda Sarkodie, 26, was killed in a shooting in downtown Hamilton on Friday, July 11, 2025. (Hamilton Police Service handout) Belinda Sarkodie was on her way home after spending time with her friend in downtown Hamilton when she was shot and killed on Friday afternoon, Hamilton police said. 'Based on the information we have so far, it appears Belinda was an innocent bystander simply going about her day,' Det. Sgt. John Obrovac said during a news conference on Saturday afternoon. The shooting occurred at the corner of King Street East and James Street North shortly before 5:30 p.m. Hamilton shooting Police are on the scene of a fatal shooting in downtown Hamilton on Friday, July 11, 2025. (Jacob Estrin/ CTV News) When officers arrived, they found a male victim with a non-life-threatening gunshot wound. Obrovac said the 26-year-old Sarkodie was located further down King Street East suffering from a gunshot wound. She was pronounced dead at the scene. The male victim was taken to the hospital. Obrovac said the suspect, who fled the scene on foot, is described as a white male with a medium build and brown hair and was last seen wearing a black T-shirt with a white design on the front and a letter 'V' on the back, blue shorts, dark socks, dark shoes, and a dark-coloured medical-style mask. Investigators believe the male victim was the intended target, as the suspect may have known him, Obrovac said, adding that the motive is still unknown. 'There is no information to suggest that the suspect and Belinda Sarkodie were known to each other or that she was targeted,' the detective said. Sarkodie moved to Canada from Ghana just last year. She was living and working in Hamilton. 'At the time of the incident, she was spending time with a friend in the downtown core,' Obrovac said. He noted that she has a brother in Manitoba.
