A couple shot dead in an alleged dispute with a landlord in east Hamilton, Ont. were identified by police Tuesday with permission from family members.
Electrician Aaron Stone, 28, from Hamilton and teaching assistant Carissa MacDonald, 27, of Stoney Creek were the couple killed in an alleged landlord-tenant dispute at a Jones Road home just north of Barton Street East in Stoney Creek.
Homicide detectives say the pair, both residents at the address, were fleeing when shot and killed on a front lawn just before 6 p.m. Saturday.
The incident would deteriorate into a standoff late in the day when a 57-year-old suspect, identified as the landlord, barricaded himself in the home with several firearms.
Video evidence, shared by a neighbour, shows officers in an armoured police vehicle communicating with the man and instructing him to leave the home and surrender.
The standoff ended around 10 p.m., when rounds were fired at officers and return fire struck and killed the suspect.
In a social media post around 1 a.m., May 28, police said the situation was “contained” with no further risk to the public, as the shooter had died after a brief shootout with police.
Ontario’s police watchdog, the Special Investigations Unit (SIU), is now investigating the incident.
In an update Tuesday, the SIU said it collected five firearms from the residence and one police issued firearm from the subject officer.
The firearms are being forwarded to the Center of Forensic Sciences for further examination.
The watchdog says surveillance video footage from multiple sources has been retrieved and that is also being analyzed.
Stone, 28, was a member of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) while MacDonald worked with the Brant Haldimand Norfolk Catholic District School Board (BHNCDSB) as an educational assistant.
The school board confirmed to Global News that MacDonald was one of their educational support workers.
“Our prayers are with her family and with all individuals impacted by this tragic situation,” a BHNCDSB spokesperson said in an email.
“Compassionate Care Response Team members are on-site supporting students and staff who are feeling this incredible loss.”
Police told Global News the victim’s families were “devastated and stunned” by the incident.
MacDonald and Stone were engaged to be married, according to detectives.
Property records obtained by Global News show the home is owned by a man named Terry Gerald Brekka. He purchased it in 2003 for $115,000 from a woman.
Neighbours told Global News the woman who sold the home to Brekka was his mother.
— with files from Global News’ Ahmar Khan and Catherine McDonald
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