Police lay first-degree murder charge in deadly 2023 Hamilton shooting

Erik Kalanyos is seen in this undated image. (OPP)

A 29-year-old man has been charged with first-degree murder in the deadly shooting of a stranger outside a Hamilton billiards hall in 2023.

Det. Mike Ebert said Daniel Musafiri, also 29, was leaving Boulevard Billiards, at York Boulevard and Queen Street North, on the night of Dec. 29 when he was confronted by Hamilton resident Erik Kalanyos in the parking lot.

That’s where police say Kalanyos shot Musafiri before he fled the scene in a black Dodge Challenger. Musafiri was transported to hospital, where he was pronounced deceased.

Ebert said Musafiri, who also lived in Hamilton, had only interacted with the suspect briefly just minutes before the shooting took place. Ebert would not comment on the nature of that interaction, but said there is no information to suggest that the victim and suspect were known to each other.

Hamilton police said Kalanyos was already in custody when he was linked to the murder on an unrelated charge of human trafficking. He was on parole at the time of the shooting, but was being sought by police for breaching his conditions.

“Daniel’s family has carried the unimaginable weight of losing a loved one to violence. Our investigators recognize the profound impact his death has had on those closest to him, and we have remained committed to pursuing justice on their behalf,” Ebert said.

“While no arrests can undo the pain of this loss, we hope this development provides some measure of relief to Daniel’s family as the matter proceeds to the courts.”

‘Losing my son has left me completely broken’

Musafiri’s mother, Mosengo Immaculee, released a statement following Thursday’s news conference saying “no words” can describe the pain of losing her child.

“A part of my heart died the day my son was taken from me. I had already lost my husband, and losing my son left me completely broken. The silence in my home and the emptiness in my heart are unbearable. Every day I wake up with the pain of knowing I will never see my son again, never hear his voice, and never feel his hug.”

Immaculee described herself as a woman of faith, and said that the “only thing” carrying her through the grief is her faith in God.

“I pray every day for strength, but the pain of losing my son will stay with me for the rest of my life. No mother should ever have to bury her child. My son deserved to live his life, but instead, I must live the rest of mine mourning him.”