Police identify 21-year-old woman killed in shooting at Vaughan Mills parking lot
Police have identified a 21-year-old woman from Hamilton as the victim of a fatal shooting in the parking lot at Vaughan Mills Tuesday evening and they say two men from the GTA are now in custody in connection with the killing.
Officers were called to the busy shopping centre north of Toronto just before 5:30 p.m. for a shooting.
A woman was found in the parking lot with a gunshot wound and was rushed to hospital by paramedics in life-threatening condition.
Police confirmed early Wednesday that she died of her injuries in hospital.
Police have since identified her as 21-year-old Alisseaha Golar-Kotlar.
They said there was an interaction which led to the shooting, but the circumstances are not yet clear.
"The relationships between the two accused and the victim are not known at this time, but we do believe that they are known to each other," Const. Kevin Nebrija told reporters Wednesday. "We do believe that this incident is targeted and there's no threat to public safety. There are no outstanding suspects or vehicles."
Two Brampton men have now been charged in connection with the murder.
Police said Courtney-Ashton Brooks, 23, has been charged with first-degree murder. Donte Morris Taylor, 22, has been charged with accessory after the fact to murder.
YRP said the woman's car was taken but it’s not yet clear what motivated the shooting.
The shooting happened in the early evening as many patrons were shopping at the busy Toronto-area outlet mall.
One woman told CP24 Tuesday that she saw a woman lying on the ground unconscious and then heard sirens from emergency vehicles rushing to the scene.
"It's scary to know that that happened in broad daylight and it's in the shopping mall parking lot," she said.
Yellow police tape continued to cordon off a section of the mall's parking lot early Wednesday as police continued to investigate.
"We do encourage those who may have dashcam footage from the parking lot of Vaughan Mills and anyone who may have seen anything to please reach out to homicide," Nebrija said.
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