Authorities in Canada have issued an arrest warrant for a 17-year-old male accused of fatally shooting a Ghanaian woman who immigrated to the North American nation just last year.
In a statement on Sunday, authorities said the suspect, identified as Mackale Lavoie, is wanted on charges of second-degree murder and two counts of attempted murder, CBC reported. The deceased victim, Belinda Sarkodie, 26, was said to be an innocent bystander.
Police said the July 11 incident occurred in Hamilton’s downtown core. Lavoie is said to have opened fire after he “encountered a group” of three individuals who “appear to have been the intended targets.”
“The male suspect opened fire, striking one of the individuals. As he continued to shoot at a second person, an innocent bystander — [Sarkodie] — was fatally struck,” police said in the statement.
Sarkodie died at the scene, while another individual suffered non-life-threatening injuries after he was hit by the gunfire. Authorities said Sarkodie was with a friend at the time she was fatally shot.
READ ALSO: Dad fatally shot while going to pick daughter up at beauty parlor
Police also said that they had been given the all-clear to disclose Lavoie’s identity. Per CBC, the Youth Criminal Justice Act stipulates that a judge can give the green light for authorities to disclose the identity of a suspect under 18 if “there is reason to believe that the young person is a danger to others” or the “publication of the information is necessary to assist in apprehending the young person.”
In February 2024, Face2Face Africa reported that a 39-year-old Ghanaian father who had recently relocated to Canada from the West African nation was similarly killed in a random shooting.
Authorities in Toronto said that the deceased father of four, identified as Adu Boakye, was fatally shot in northwest Toronto. A GoFundMe set up to raise funds for the victim’s family and funeral stated that Boakye was gunned down while he was standing at the bus stop around Jane Street and Driftwood Avenue, adding that he waiting to board a bus to go and send money to his wife back home in Ghana. Boakye had also just relocated to Canada in November 2023, CP24 reported.