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
Doctors ask Liberal government to reconsider capital gains tax change
The Canadian Medical Association is asking the federal government to reconsider its proposed changes to capital gains taxation, arguing it will affect doctors' retirement savings.
Keeping these exotic pets is 'cruel' and 'dangerous,' Canadian animal advocates say
Canadian pet owners are finding companionship beyond dogs and cats. Tigers, alligators, scorpions and tarantulas are among some of the exotic pets they are keeping in private homes, which pose risks to public safety and animal welfare, advocates say.
Prince William and wife Kate thank public for birthday messages for son Louis
Prince William and his wife Kate thanked the public for their messages which had been sent to mark the sixth birthday of their youngest son Louis on Tuesday.
She was the closest she'd ever been to meeting her biological father. Then life dealt her a blow
Anne Marie Cavner was the closest she'd ever been to meeting her biological father, but then life dealt her a blow. From an unexpected loss to a host of new relationships, a DNA test changed her life, and she doesn't regret a thing.
How quietly promised law changes in the 2024 federal budget could impact your day-to-day life
The 2024 federal budget released last week includes numerous big spending promises that have garnered headlines. But, tucked into the 416-page document are also series of smaller items, such as promising to amend the law regarding infant formula and to force banks to label government rebates, that you may have missed.
Which foods have the most plastics? You may be surprised
'How much plastic will you have for dinner, sir? And you, ma'am?' While that may seem like a line from a satirical skit on Saturday Night Live, research is showing it's much too close to reality.
'Catch-and-kill' strategy to be a focus as testimony resumes in Trump hush money case
A veteran tabloid publisher was expected to return to the witness stand Tuesday in Donald Trump's historic hush money trial.
Quebec farmers have been protesting since December. Is anyone listening?
Upset about high interest rates, growing paperwork and heavy regulatory burdens, protesting farmers have become a familiar sight across Quebec since December.
South Korean sentenced to 14 months in jail for killing 76 cats
South Korean man has been sentenced to 14 months in prison for killing 76 cats in one of the country's most gruesome cases of animal cruelty in recent years.