Hamilton police say they have arrested a teenager and charged him with the murder of a 26-year-old woman who was struck by a stray bullet in the downtown area and died.
It was July 11 when Belinda Sarkodie was fatally shot in broad daylight near King Street East and James Street North, apparently by a stray bullet.
Sarkodie, who was from Ghana, was declared dead at the scene.
Shortly after the shooting, which also sparked an opportunist theft, police said they believed a 17-year-old was responsible, but had not been attempting to shoot Sarkodie.
They alleged the teen opened fire on a group of three people in the area, also sending a man to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
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Chief Frank Bergen said on Wednesday he was shocked by the events that transpired.
“A young punk thinks it’s OK and thinks they’re entitled enough to show up on a scooter and take the life of a 26-year-old young girl, Belinda, from Ghana,” he said.
For months, officers hunted for the accused without success, until he eventually turned himself in.
Hamilton police said that on Nov. 18, the 17-year-old suspect offered himself up and was arrested and charged. He cannot be named due to provisions in the Youth Criminal Justice Act.
He has been charged with two counts of attempted murder and one count of second-degree murder.
Bergen said he was concerned at the rise of violence among young people and the number of suspects under the age of 18 his force was pursuing.
“We also have to recognize and acknowledge that the trajectory of youth violence in this community is unacceptable,” he added.
“If the 12-year-olds and the 14-year-olds, and in this case, a 17-year-old, feel that it is OK to bring out a gun in the afternoon amongst hundreds of people to settle a dispute or to try to be tougher than the next person, and we got a problem.”
— With a file from The Canadian Press
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