‘Senseless act of violence’: Woman dead, man in hospital after shooting in downtown Hamilton

A woman is dead and a man is in the hospital following a shooting in downtown Hamilton Friday afternoon.

Hamilton police said the shooting occurred near Jackson Square on King Street West between MacNab and James streets just before 5:30 p.m.

Duty Insp. Greg Doerr told CTV News Toronto that officers located two victims when they arrived at the scene.

He said the female victim was pronounced dead at the scene, while the male victim sustained a non-life-threatening gunshot wound.

The identity of the victim has not been released.

Officers continue to search for the suspect who fled the area on foot and was last seen northbound on James Street.

When asked if it was a targeted shooting, Doerr said, “We have no information to suggest that at the time.”

He noted that the incident happened in front of a bus. Doerr said police do not know yet if the two victims just got off the bus when they were shot.

Videos posted on social media show multiple emergency services on the scene of the shooting.

“This senseless act of violence in a very busy area on a Friday afternoon, that’s very troubling. What the community can be assured of is that we’re putting all resources and finding out who did this,” Doerr said.

Police said they’ll have a large presence in the area for several hours as officers collect evidence and determine the circumstances surrounding the shooting.

Doerr said the mall was evacuated and nearby businesses were placed on hold-and-secure. He added that there were initial concerns that the suspect may have fled through the mall.

“We did have our Emergency Response team with frontline patrol checking and ensuring that there was no danger inside the mall,” the inspector said.

In a news release, Hamilton police said they were committed to conducting a thorough investigation.

“This investigation remains active and in its early stages. We recognize that incidents of violence have a significant impact on our community,” police said.

Investigators are asking anyone who was in the area between 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. who may have witnessed the incident or has video to contact them at 905-546-4167 or Crime Stoppers anonymously.