Fatal shooting on Red Hill Valley Parkway was a targeted attack: police
The double shooting on the Red Hill Valley Parkway late Friday night that left one man dead and another seriously injured was a targeted attack, Hamilton police say.
In a news briefing with reporters Sunday, Det. Sgt. Jim Callender of the service's major crime unit said investigators have yet to determine a clear motive as well as what transpired prior to the shooting, but noted it was not random.
Callender said both victims were known to police and had ties to Hamilton. Neither currently lived in the city.
The shooting took place just prior to 9:25 p.m. Friday on the southbound Red Hill, between King Street and Greenhill Avenue.
Police say multiple shots were fired from a dark-coloured SUV into a blue BMW sedan while the vehicle was still in motion."
Two men in the sedan were shot.
Matar Abouchere, the 27-year-old driver of the sedan, died on the way to hospital.
Two former classmates who refused to be identified told The Spectator that Abouchere was a graduate of Bennetto Elementary School and Sir John A. Macdonald Secondary School in Hamilton.
Callender said Abouchere's family was devastated" by the news of his death. He said Abouchere currently lived in Halton.
The passenger in the vehicle, who sustained serious injuries, was driven to hospital by a pair of citizens who he flagged down on the parkway, Callender said.
The passenger underwent surgery at Juravinski Hospital. He has since been released.
Abouchere - who entered the parkway westbound via Barton Street East - was able to pull the vehicle over to the side of the parkway before first responders arrived, police say.
The driver of the SUV fled south and exited the parkway at Greenhill Avenue. Police are seeking at least one suspect.
Police cordoned off the exits between King Street and Greenhill Avenue for more than 12 hours following the shooting.
At least seven marked police vehicles could be seen Saturday morning scattered along the southbound lane of the parkway.
Five of the vehicles sat near a white rectangular enclosure painted on the northbound lane whose size mimicked that of a sedan.
One police officer could be seen clumping a yellow and blue tarp, which lay just south of the painted enclosure, into a yard waste bag. The bag was placed inside of a forensics van. It is unclear what was under the tarp.
Seven police officers lined up adjacent to each other and walked up and down the southbound lane to conduct what appeared to be a ground search.
The incident marked the second double shooting in the Hamilton area in less than 10 hours, and the third double shooting in as many days.
On Friday afternoon, Hamilton Mob boss Pasquale (Pat) Musitano was shot dead in a Burlington parking lot. A second shooting victim is in hospital in serious condition, according to Halton police. The Spectator has learned a third man is in hospital with undetermined injuries.
Callender said investigators do not believe the Red Hill shooting bears any connection or link to Musitano's death.
Police are asking anyone who was travelling on Barton Street East, the Red Hill Valley Parkway or in the area of Greenhill Avenue around the time of the incident to contact police with information, dash camera or security camera recordings.
Officers are looking for a motive in the slaying and ask anyone with information about the victim, suspects or vehicles to come forward.
If you have any information that you believe could assist police with this investigation, please contact Det. Michael McNaughton by calling 905-546-4123. To provide information anonymously call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or submit your anonymous tips online at http://www.crimestoppershamilton.com
Sebastian Bron is a Hamilton-based reporter at The Spectator. Reach him via email: sbron@thespec.com