A 21-year-old international student from India has died in hospital of a gunshot wound after she was hit by a stray bullet in a shooting in Hamilton on Thursday, police say.
Harsimrat Randhawa, who was studying at Mohawk College, was an “innocent bystander,” Hamilton police said in a news release on Friday.
Randhawa was standing at a bus stop on her way to work when gunfire erupted near Upper James Street and South Bend Road, police said in the release. Police said they received reports of the shooting at about 7:30 p.m.
When officers arrived at the scene, they found her. She had suffered a gunshot wound to the chest. Paramedics took her to hospital, where she was later pronounced dead.
Police said investigators, after reviewing video, have determined that a passenger in a black Mercedes SUV fired at people in a white sedan.
Shortly after the shooting, the white sedan headed north on Upper James Street while the Mercedes went west on South Bend Road.
Gunshots also went through the rear window of a home on Allenby Avenue where people were watching television, but police said no one was injured in the home.
‘We know this loss is being felt by many,’ college says
In a statement on Friday, Mohawk College said it was “deeply saddened” to learn of Randhawa’s death.
“Our thoughts are with her family and friends at this difficult time,” the college said in the statement.
“As a member of the Mohawk College community, we know this loss is being felt by many and we will do everything we can to support Harsimrat’s friends, family and the broader college community.”
Police said anyone with dashboard or security camera video that was taken between 7:15 p.m. and 7:45 p.m. on Thursday near Upper James and South Bend is urged to come forward.
