Hamilton police continue manhunt for teen suspect in shooting death of innocent bystander

Hamilton police are continuing a manhunt Monday for a teenager charged with a random, senseless murder in the city’s downtown.

They’re taking the extraordinary step of identifying a young person accused of a crime, and they’re warning people in the city to not provide any help to the suspect.

The manhunt has been going on since the shooting Friday on King Street East downtown, with the suspect identified by police as 17-year-old Mackale Lavoie.

“We are following up any leads that come, and we are actively looking for him,” said Det. Sgt. John Obrovac with Hamilton Police Services.

With the shooting creating new fears about safety on the streets.

“It’s just insane – I don’t feel safe walking my dog at night,” said a Hamilton resident to CHCH News.

As a young person, police had to get court approval to identify Lavoie as their suspect, following Youth Criminal Justice laws.

Police say he is charged with second degree murder and two counts of attempted murder.

“Investigators are actively looking for Mackale, and encourage him to reach out to his lawyer and make arrangements to turn himself in,” said Obrovac.

“I would also like to remind anyone who may be trying to assist him in evading police, that they too could be held criminally responsible as accessories after the fact,” said Obrovac.

Hamilton police say the shooting broke out when a gunman opened fire on three people on King Street East.

READ MORE: Teen wanted in Friday fatal downtown Hamilton shooting

One of those people was injured, while a random bullet struck and killed 26-year-old Belinda Sarkodie, who came to Hamilton last year from Ghana and was reported to be working to put herself through school, leaving behind a close-knit family in Africa.

Sarkodie was waiting at a bus stop on King Street East, after sharing an afternoon with a friend.

“Belinda was an affable person known for her warmth, kindness and gentle spirit,” said Obrovac. “She was deeply loved by her friends and family, and all who had the privilege to know her.”

Flowers were placed in a growing memorial at the bus stop where Sarkodie was killed Monday afternoon.

The reason for the shooting isn’t clear.

Witnesses told CHCH News they heard five shots, with the gunman standing outside the entrance to Jackson Square mall shooting westward, with Sarkodie at the bus stop in the path of the bullets.

It’s the second time this year a random victim has been killed in Hamilton, after international student Harsimrat Randhawa was shot and killed at a bus stop in April.

“One of the things police have done is increase patrols in the downtown,” said Horwath.

Horwath said the police have increased their presence downtown, but says other changes are needed at a higher government level to make the streets safer.

“We need to have the flow of guns stopped, and we need to have a system where people using guns in the process of committing a crime see the justice system as something they fear as opposed to something that doesn’t dissuade them at all,” said Horwath.

An organization from Ghana, called Ghana Web, is expressing concern about the safety of people coming to Canada from Ghana.

It follows the deaths of two other people from Ghana in gun violence in Canada over the past year-and-a-half: one in Toronto and one Saskatchewan.

WATCH MORE: ‘Should never be happening’: Hamilton mayor reacts to fatal shooting of innocent woman