Family of teen girl shot and killed in central Hamilton ‘extremely distraught’

A family is grieving after a 17-year-old girl was shot and killed in a central Hamilton home early Wednesday.

The teen, who has not yet been identified, was shot in a house at 16 St. Matthews Ave., northwest of Wentworth Street North and Barton Street East, around 4 a.m.

She was taken to Hamilton General Hospital in life-threatening condition and died around 9:30 a.m., said Det. Sgt. Steve Bereziuk of the major crime unit.

The family is extremely distraught, they're hysterical, you can imagine getting this information," Bereziuk said.

The victim is a high school student in the Hamilton-Wentworth Catholic District School Board who lived with her mother in the city. She did not live in the home where she was shot but knew at least one person who did.

It's a very sad incident," he said.

There were at least five people in the house at the time of the shooting, Bereziuk said, adding that it's too early in the investigation to know what transpired" inside the home.

Police are looking for two male suspects, believed to be in their early" 20s, who fled out the back door and down an alley that runs between St. Matthews and Cheever Street. Both are described as white men, one with short brown hair and the other with longer brown hair.

Police have not yet found the murder weapon, but believe it may be a handgun. Police were conducting a search and canvass of the area and are awaiting a warrant to get into the house.

Police are asking residents in the area to check their properties for a discarded firearm. They are also looking as for any surveillance footage residents may have from around the time the shooting occurred.

Bereziuk said the witnesses police have spoken to are co-operating. He wouldn't comment on who called 911 or how many of the people believed to be in the home were still there when police arrived.

We're certainly of the belief we're going to identify who was in that house," he said, adding that people in the house are advised to come forward to police.

St. Matthews Avenue between Barton Street East and Birge Street, including the alley where the suspects are believed to have fled, was taped off for much of the day Wednesday.

Shortly before 2 p.m., police had removed the tape and the street was reopened.

Outside of the home, a pool of blood could be seen on the sidewalk, with a trail of blood leading up the front stairs and further into the house. A pair of shattered mirrors were perched against a tree in the lawn.

Sue Cormier, who lives next door to where the shooting took place, said she was sleeping on her couch when she woke up to screaming around 4 a.m. or 4:30 a.m.

(I) heard at least two girls and one guy saying, Oh my god, oh my god.'"

She said she heard screams coming from both inside and outside the semi-detached house where a young guy lives.

I never heard the gun," she said. I just heard the screaming."

Bereziuk said the house was not known to police, so the shooting was a bit of a shocking event," he said. Cormier said she hadn't had any trouble" with the neighbours.

The Hamilton Spectator spoke to one resident, who refused to be identified, who said he woke up to news of the shooting.

Living on the street for 25 years, he said the area is usually quiet.

I raised kids here, it's not a problem, it's been good," he said. You have this and that or whatever, but it happens like that everywhere."

Christina Mathieson also woke up to the crime scene. She lives across the road from where the shooting happened.

It's scary," said Mathieson, who has two young sons under the age of five. It's normally pretty quiet."

The incident is one of 27 shootings in Hamilton this year and comes amid a spate of shootings in the area in recent weeks. It is the eighth homicide in Hamilton this year.

Bereziuk said there is no evidence the homicide is linked to any other incident in the city.

This includes the death of Matar Abouchere, a 27-year-old man who was shot as he drove on the Red Hill Valley Parkway late Friday. Another man in his car was seriously hurt.

On Tuesday, July 7, 42-year-old Jason Peterson was shot in an encounter with Hamilton police as they were searching for a suspect after a domestic incident involving a firearm. He died in hospital the following day.

Not included in Hamilton's shooting count is Friday's double shooting in Burlington that killed Hamilton Mob boss Pasquale (Pat) Musitano and seriously injured his longtime bodyguard and friend 77-year-old John Clary.

There was a high of 47 shootings in Hamilton last year, well surpassing the 25 shootings in 2018. Last year, eight people were killed in shootings.

Any witnesses are asked to call Det. Geoffrey Burbidge at 905-546-2288.

Fallon Hewitt is a Hamilton-based reporter at The Spectator. Reach her via email: fhewitt@thespec.com

Nicole O'Reilly is a Hamilton-based reporter covering crime and justice for The Spectator. Reach her via email: noreilly@thespec.com