Police in Hamilton say an early morning shooting that left a 34-year-old man dead is “not a random attack.”
Gunshots rang out near a bar in the area of East Avenue North and King Street East at around 1:30 a.m.
Officers arrived at the scene to find four people suffering from gunshot wounds. One of the victims later died in hospital.
He has since been identified as Michael Campbell, of Brampton. The three other victims are all in their late 20s and early 30s and suffered non-life-threatening injuries, police said.
So far, no arrests have been made nor has a description of possible suspects been released. Police believe they may be searching for two perpetrators.
“We are garnering some witnesses cooperation. We are looking for more, but we are also looking for more video in the area,” Det.-Sgt. Dave Oleniuk said.
Investigators are also trying to determine whether the victims and suspects knew each other.
“It would appear that this was not a random attack,” he said. “However, I can’t confirm whether or not the victim was the actual intended target or if he just happened to be part of this group.”
Oleniuk said there were “half a dozen” other people standing in the area at the time of the shooting but that they’re untangling “a few different narratives” about the series of events that took place before and after the gunfire.
Some video surveillance from the area has been collected and will be reviewed. A weapon has not been recovered.
“The bar itself had already been closed for over half an hour and empty before this happened,” Oleniuk said. “Every indication that we do have is that it was targeted at least at somebody in the group.”
The investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information about the incident is being asked to call Hamilton Police Services or Crime Stoppers anonymously.
