HAMILTON — Two people were gunned down and two others were wounded early Sunday morning after attending a memorial for a murder victim, Hamilton police said as they called on witnesses to come forward.
Dozens of people were inside a bar when gunfire rang out at about 5 a.m., killing a 39-year-old man and a 25-year-old woman, said Sgt. Steve Bereziuk. Two other men — aged 38 and 29 — were seriously wounded and are now in stable condition.
"There were dozens among dozens of people in this lounge," said Bereziuk. "No one has reached out to us to offer any assistance, so we're working through that."
Police said the bar was still serving alcohol at 5 a.m. when the shooting occurred.
Bereziuk said the investigation is in its early stages and police don't yet know the motive.
But investigators said the group was at Urban Lounge, in the basement behind Sam's Tavern, after attending a celebration of life for Carel Douse, who was stabbed to death on May 18, 2019.
Douse, 33, was inside a barbershop when he was first stabbed, police have said. He then ran out of the building, but the suspects chased him to the front of a home, where they allegedly continued to stab him. He died in hospital hours later.
Three people have been charged with first-degree murder in his death.
Investigators are looking for one suspect, described as a thin, dark-skinned man in his 30s, standing five-foot-10.
Bereziuk said the suspect may have short braids and was wearing black jeans or pants and a zip-up sweater.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 8, 2020.
The Canadian Press
Note to readers: This is a corrected story. A previous version, based on information provided by police, erroneously reported a murder victim died in 2018. In fact, he died in 2019.
