‘Had her whole life ahead of her’: College student identified as victim of fatal Hamilton shooting

A 21-year-old was struck and killed by a stray bullet while waiting at a bus stop in Hamilton. John Musselman on the search for suspects.

A 21-year-old Mohawk College student, described as an “innocent bystander,” has died following a shooting in Hamilton on Thursday, police say.

Police say the shooting happened at around 7:30 p.m., in the area of Upper James Street and South Bend Road East.

“What we’ve learned is that there was a confrontation between two vehicles at the site, one being a black Mercedes SUV, the other vehicle a white sedan,” Acting Det.-Sgt. Daryl Reid told reporters in an update on Friday afternoon.

At that point, Reid says, “multiple” shots were fired from the Mercedes. Shortly after, police said in a release, the white sedan was driven northbound on Upper James while the driver of the Mercedes travelled westbound on South Bend.

Police say one of the shots fired from a suspect in the Mercedes broke through the back window of a home on Allenby Avenue, where residents were watching TV. They added nobody in that residence was injured, but noted if the bullet had entered about one or two feet to the right, “it would have been a different story.”

Police did not say exactly how many shots were fired, but said one struck a woman who had been waiting at a bus strop across the street from the home, Reid said.

Police identified the victim as Harsimrat Randahawa, an international student from India. Reid says officers have been able to communicate with her extended family in Toronto.

“I would like to extend my condolences to Harsimrat’s family. This is a young girl who had her whole life ahead of her and tragically lost her life because some thugs picked up a gun,” Hamilton Police Chief Frank Bergen said on Friday afternoon.

“Remember, Harsimrat’s family sent her to Hamilton to prepare her for her future, and there is now an empty seat at their dinner table and an empty seat at her aunt’s house and her friend’s home.”

A spokesperson for Mohawk College said they are “deeply saddened” by Randahawa’s death, and extended their condolences to her family and friends.

“As a member of the Mohawk College community, we know this loss is being felt by many and we will do everything we can to support Harsimrat’s friends, family and the broader college community,” Sean Coffey of Mohawk College said in a statement.

Bergen said Randahawa’s death is a “stark reminder” of the consequences of gun violence.

“It’s extremely unsettling for a community that people who feel that they can just carelessly, recklessly pick up a gun and start shooting (…) This is not acceptable,” Bergen said.

“If you see somebody in your family playing with a gun, whether it’s a kid, a brother, sister, partner, whatever it is, you have a responsibility – the city has a responsibility – to do better.”

Hamilton mayor Andrea Howarth says she is “heartbroken” by the shooting, calling it a “senseless act of violence” that has devastated her city.

Howarth says she is offering her condolences to Randhawa’s family and loved ones.

The Indian consulate in Toronto says staff were “deeply saddened” by the news, adding officials are in contact with the victim’s family to offer any assistance they need.

Investigators are asking anyone who may have video or additional information about the shooting to contact them or Crime Stoppers anonymously.

With files from The Canadian Press