Engaged couple shot dead fleeing landlord after house dispute near Hamilton, Ont., police say

A “truly innocent” engaged couple was shot dead while attempting to flee their attacker outside their home after a landlord-tenant dispute escalated on Saturday night, according to Hamilton police.

Officers said a 27-year-old female and 28-year-old male who were engaged to be married were shot dead outside their residence at 322 Jones Rd., near Barton Street, in Stoney Creek, on Saturday at around 5:40 p.m. after a disagreement surrounding issues within the house.

Hamilton police on scene after a landlord-tenant dispute left three dead in a residence in Stoney Creek. (Simon Sheehan/CP24)"These are not people that this should happen to, they're not involved in any level of criminality or lifestyle that may lead to an incident like this. They're truly innocent," Det. Sgt. Steve Bereziuk said on Sunday.

He said the woman was an educational assistant for the Catholic school board in Brant County, while the man worked as an electrician in Hamilton.

"(They were) both hardworking people, adding to the tragedy of this event," Bereziuk said, adding that no one involved in this incident was known to police.

On Saturday night, the building’s 57-year-old landlord had barricaded himself in the residence with multiple guns that were registered to him, including handguns and long rifles, according to police.

At approximately 10 p.m., there was an exchange of gunfire between the man and a police officer after hours of attempted negotiations, according to a Special Investigations Unit (SIU) release Sunday.

The man was struck and pronounced deceased at the scene. His death is now under investigation by the SIU, Ontario's police watchdog.

More than a dozen investigators and officials have been appointed to the case, the SIU said.

Hamilton police provide an update on the double homicide of an engaged couple on Sunday, May 28, 2023 (Simon Sheehan/CP24).

'OUT OF CHARACTER'

Sandra Chaisson, a resident of more than four decades in the area of the incident, said the landlord bought the house on Jones Road from her grandparents.

“He was very quiet. A very quiet man. I didn't see him much, just to wave hello, but I haven't seen him for a long time,” she said.

“The tenants were in the basement, but I didn't know them, just to see them at the mailbox kind of thing,” she said, adding that the incident seemed “out of character.”

Chaisson said she was watching TV a little after 10 p.m. when she heard six to eight rapid shots fired. “It was rather scary,” she said. “It’s a shock to all of us.”

SIU spokesperson Monica Hudon: pic.twitter.com/po1NPDt3C4

— Special Investigations Unit (@SIUOntario) May 28, 2023

At around 10:30 p.m., police asked people in the vicinity to “shelter in their basement as a safety precaution” as negotiators communicated with the suspect “in an attempt to peacefully resolve the incident.”

Hours later, just before 1 a.m., Hamilton police said in a tweet that the situation had been “contained.”

“There is no ongoing risk to public safety. Police will remain in the area for sometime as we continue to investigate. Please continue to avoid the area,” they wrote.

Ontario’s Special Investigation Unit has been called following an interaction with a man believed to be responsible for a double homicide in Stoney Creek. (Simon Sheehan/CP24)

Police said at one point during the negotiations, the man fired at their armoured vehicle. “The suspect later fired additional rounds, which resulted in an interaction with police,” Hamilton police said.

The families of both victims have been notified, but for now the names of the victims are not being released, police said.

Investigators are asking witnesses or anyone with information about the incident to contact Det. Robert DiIanni at 905-546-3836, or Crime Stoppers anonymously.