Indian student’s killing in Canada: Police recover vehicles involved in shooting

Harsimrat Randhawa, a 21-year-old student from Punjab, was killed in Canada after a stray bullet hit her on April 17. In a key development, a week later, Hamilton Police recovered two vehicles involved in the incident, but the search for the person who fired the bullet continued. This came even as Randhawa’s classmates held a memorial for her at her Mohawk College in Hamilton, Ontario.

Acting Detective Sergeant Daryl Reid told reporters that a white Hyundai Elantra was recovered on April 20 in a residential area in northwestern Toronto, CBC News reported on Wednesday. The car has since been towed back to Hamilton for forensic analysis, Reid added.

The second car to be seized was a black Mercedes SUV.

Hamilton police recovered the vehicle on April 21 from a Hamilton residence during a search, Reid said.

HARSIMRAT RANDHAWA CAUGHT IN GANG-WAR CROSSFIRE?

Randhawa was hit in the chest by a stray bullet fired from a black Mercedes at the occupants of the white Hyundai.

“The white Hyundai … was believed to be involved in the shooting as the target vehicle, with shots being fired at them,” Reid said.

Hamilton Police said she was waiting at a bus stop when the bullet struck her.

She was on her way to work when the incident occurred.

Randhawa, from Punjab’s Tarn Taran district, would have started her second year in occupational physiotherapy at Hamilton College in Canada.

“Investigators have been narrowing down the pool of people associated with these two vehicles,” he said, adding, “We will leave no stone unturned until we find you.”

Police are encouraging those involved in the shooting to contact a lawyer and turn themselves in, according to the CBC report.

She is the fourth Indian to have died in Canada in the past four months.

HAMILTON MAYOR SEEKS ACTION AGAINST GUN VIOLENCE

A vigil was held on April 20 in Hamilton, where dozens gathered to mourn Randhawa’s death.

Hamilton Mayor Andrea Horwath also addressed the gathering, calling for stronger measures to curb gun violence.

“These guns have to go,” she was quoted as saying by CBC News. “We cannot have this kind of violence in our city, in our community. Look at all the people here — they’re saying the same thing.”

She told reporters Randhawa’s killing was “shocking” and “unacceptable”.

In a statement, Hamilton Police said the shooting happened near Upper James and South Bend Road streets. Randhawa was found with a gunshot wound to her chest by police. She was rushed to a nearby hospital but succumbed.

CCTV footage from the site showed a passenger in a black car opening fire at the occupants of a white sedan. The vehicles left the scene after firing shots.

Police said bullets fired during the incident also hit the window of a nearby residence. However, no one else was injured.

On April 23, a memorial was held at Mohawk College for Randhawa.

Graeme Douglas, programme manager of allied health at Mohawk College, read memories and words of condolence shared by those who knew the Indian student, according to a CBC report. Classmates remembered her as a “cheerful, supportive and heartwarming” person.