Engaged couple shot dead days before moving out of house near Hamilton
An engaged couple was shot dead while fleeing their landlord near Hamilton just days before they were scheduled to move out of their apartment.
Hamilton police told CTV News Toronto 27-year-old Carissa MacDonald and 28-year-old Aaron Stone were set to move out of their basement apartment on June 1.
Just days earlier, on Saturday, they were shot outside of their home at 322 Jones Rd., near Barton Street, in Stoney Creek.
The landlord-tenant dispute that sparked the fatal escalation was over a mold issue in the tenants’ unit, according to Hamilton police.
Police confirmed the tenants raised health concerns about the mold to their landlord, who lived on the upper floors of the house.
The owner of the house, a 57-year-old named Terry Brekka, according to property records, had barricaded himself in the residence with multiple guns registered in his name. Hours later, he was shot and killed by a police officer, now the subject of a police watchdog investigation.
27-year-old Carissa MacDonald (left) and 28-year-old Aaron Stone of Hamilton have been identified as the victims of a deadly shooting in Stoney Creek, Ont. (Hamilton Police Service)Police identified the engaged couple – who they have called “truly innocent” – on Tuesday.
Stone was a “highly regarded” electrician in Hamilton with “immense potential for a promising career,” business manager Steve Fox told CTV News Toronto on Wednesday.
“The void left by his absence will be profoundly felt throughout our industry, particularly among his fellow Brothers and Sisters here at the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, where he was universally liked and respected,” Fox said.
MacDonald was an educational assistant for the Catholic school board in Brant County. “Our prayers are with her family and with all individuals impacted by this tragic situation,” Tracey Austin, the board’s manager of communications, said in a statement on Monday.
Hamilton police said the families of both victims are requesting privacy at this time.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Pilot reported fire onboard plane carrying fuel, attempted to return to Fairbanks just before crash
One of the two pilots aboard an airplane carrying fuel reported there was a fire on the airplane shortly before it crashed and burned outside Fairbanks, killing both people on board, a federal aviation official said Wednesday.
'One of the single most terrifying things ever': Ontario couple among passengers on sinking tour boat in Dominican Republic
A Toronto couple are speaking out about their 'extremely dangerous' experience on board a sinking tour boat in the Dominican Republic last week.
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
7 surveillance videos linked to extortions of South Asian home builders in Edmonton released
The Edmonton Police Service has released a number of surveillance videos related to a series of extortion cases in the city now dubbed 'Project Gaslight.'
Ukraine uses long-range missiles secretly provided by U.S. to hit Russian-held areas, officials say
Ukraine for the first time has begun using long-range ballistic missiles provided secretly by the United States, bombing a Russian military airfield in Crimea last week and Russian forces in another occupied area overnight, American officials said Wednesday.