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Murder charge laid after death of 35-year-old Stratford woman

A Stratford Police vehicle parked in front of St. Mary's quarry. @SPSmediaoffice / Twitter

A 41-year-old man is facing a murder charge in connection with a fatal shooting that occurred in Stratford, Ont., on Tuesday morning, Stratford police say.

On Tuesday morning at around 5 a.m., police say emergency services were dispatched to a home on Ontario Street after an incident was reported.

When officers reached the scene, they found 35-year-old Kassidy Ballantyne-Holmes unresponsive while suffering from a gunshot wound.

Police say she was taken to Stratford General Hospital where she would be later pronounced dead.

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Keith Savile, 41, was later arrested and has been charged with second-degree murder, possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose, unauthorized possession of a weapon, weapons trafficking and manufacturing.

Police say this was an isolated incident and that there is no risk to public safety.

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A police spokesperson was not able to say whether there was a previous relationship between the victim and the accused. They told Global News it was part of the ongoing investigation.

This is the second fatal shooting incident that has occurred in Stratford over the past several months.

On Aug. 1, Ricky Bilcke, 31, went on a shooting spree on Bradshawe Drive, killing Johnny Bennett, 36, and seriously injuring Bennett’s girlfriend, Stephanie Irvine, 37, and David Tokley, 43, before turning his gun on himself.

Police said their investigation revealed that a 31-year-old man had fired shots at the three victims after he was involved in a neighbour dispute, before turning the weapon on himself.

— with files from Canadian Press

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