A week before they were shot dead, an east Hamilton, Ont. couple were in a dispute with their landlord over mould in their basement apartment, according to police.
Homicide detectives say Carissa MacDonald and Aaron Stone were also just “days away” from moving into a new home before killed at a Jones Road home north of Barton Street East in Stoney Creek.
A statement released Thursday from the victims’ families characterized the pair as “hardworking” and “honest,” saying they took “pride in their home and always paid their bills on time.”
MacDonald and Stone were fleeing when shot and killed on a front lawn just before 6 p.m. Saturday, an incident that would see a 57-year-old barricade himself in a home at the same address.
A standoff with police would end around 10 p.m., after rounds were fired at officers and return fire struck and killed the suspect, later confirmed to be the landlord of the Jones Road home.
Ontario’s police watchdog, the Special Investigations Unit (SIU), is now investigating the incident and says five firearms were collected from the residence.
Family members say Stone, 28, was an electrician with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) and was in the process of completing a five-year apprenticeship.
MacDonald, 27, was an educational assistant with the Brant Haldimand Norfolk Catholic District School Board (BHNCDSB) who “loved her job and her school family.”
Police say they’ve now completed the investigation at Jones Road and have departed the scene.
Det. Sgt. Steve Bereziuk said in an interview the investigation is “ongoing” and that no further details would be released due to an SIU investigation.