Hamilton Police are investigating another fatal shooting in the city's downtown core, occurring less than a week after a teenage boy was accused of fatally shooting another teen inside a busy mall.
Police reported that just after 7 p.m. on Thursday, they responded to a shooting in the area of Main Street West and Caroline Street. This location is approximately one block away from city hall and just over two blocks from Jackson Square, the downtown mall that connects to TD Coliseum and sits across the street from the central transit hub.
Officers found a victim with life-threatening injuries, and emergency personnel transported the individual to a hospital. Authorities urged the public to avoid the area during the investigation.
Victim Pronounced Deceased
In a statement released before 10 p.m., police confirmed that a male victim died a short time after being transported to the hospital. They also indicated that there may be additional injured parties who fled the scene.
This incident marks the city's third homicide of the year.
Police took to social media platform X, stating, "We ask residents in the area of Main St. W. and Caroline St. to please review their CCTV cameras for anything suspicious and report it to police." They urged anyone with information to contact them at 905-546-4725.
Connection to Recent Mall Shooting
Thursday's shooting occurred just four days after a 14-year-old boy wanted for murder surrendered to police in connection with the shooting death of a 16-year-old male at Jackson Square mall last Friday.
Police previously reported that surveillance footage showed the victim walking along King Street from Hess Street, less than a block from where Thursday's shooting took place, before a brief interaction occurred and continued into the mall.
Community Call to Action
Police identified the victim of last week's shooting as Nabil Askafe, 16, who lived in Hamilton but whose family had recently emigrated from Syria.
Hamilton Police Chief Frank Bergen stated on Sunday that the incident was deeply troubling, emphasizing that it was not just a police matter but a community call to action. He remarked, "We should all be concerned when violence becomes an option for youth instead of resolution and hope."
Authorities are asking anyone with information about Thursday's fatal shooting to contact Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-8477 or visit crimestoppershamilton.com.
