‘Senseless act of violence': Woman dead, man in hospital after shooting in downtown Hamilton
A woman is dead and a man is in the hospital following a shooting in downtown Hamilton Friday afternoon.
Hamilton police said the shooting occurred near Jackson Square on King Street West between MacNab and James streets just before 5:30 p.m.
Duty Insp. Greg Doerr told CTV News Toronto that officers located two victims when they arrived at the scene.
He said the female victim was pronounced dead at the scene, while the male victim sustained a non-life-threatening gunshot wound.
Hamilton shooting
Police tape blocks off a sidewalk in downtown Hamilton following a double shooting on Friday, July 11, 2025. (Jacob Estrin/CTV News)
The identity of the victim has not been released.
Officers continue to search for the suspect who fled the area on foot and was last seen northbound on James Street.
When asked if it was a targeted shooting, Doerr said, 'We have no information to suggest that at the time.'
He noted that the incident happened in front of a bus. Doerr said police do not know yet if the two victims just got off the bus when they were shot.
Videos posted on social media show multiple emergency services on the scene of the shooting.
'This senseless act of violence in a very busy area on a Friday afternoon, that's very troubling. What the community can be assured of is that we're putting all resources and finding out who did this,' Doerr said.
Hamilton shooting
Screen grabs from viewer videos show the scene following a double shooting in Hamilton on Friday, July 11, 2025. (Youssef Alsham/Hamilton Neighbourhood Watch)
Police said they'll have a large presence in the area for several hours as officers collect evidence and determine the circumstances surrounding the shooting.
Doerr said the mall was evacuated and nearby businesses were placed on hold-and-secure. He added that there were initial concerns that the suspect may have fled through the mall.
'We did have our Emergency Response team with frontline patrol checking and ensuring that there was no danger inside the mall,' the inspector said.
In a news release, Hamilton police said they were committed to conducting a thorough investigation.
'This investigation remains active and in its early stages. We recognize that incidents of violence have a significant impact on our community,' police said.
Investigators are asking anyone who was in the area between 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. who may have witnessed the incident or has video to contact them at 905-546-4167 or Crime Stoppers anonymously.
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Asked how — given the abuse Shirley endured — she could end up in a relationship with another abuser who caused the same harm to her own daughters, Shirley said she didn't know. "That's the nature of generational trauma," said Robin. "Mom isn't the only woman who has gone from a traumatized childhood to traumatized adult relationship after traumatized adult relationship. And so many never break that cycle." Nazanin Moghadami, a clinical counsellor from Burnaby, B.C., where she runs the Nabat Health Center, says this bears out both in research and what she sees while conducting trauma therapy. People have different responses to violence, says Moghadami. One is to convince themselves the abuse is normal. For instance, if a mother was abused as a child, she may have just tried to tolerate it. Then, later, if her children tell her they've been abused, Moghadami says the question in her mind might be "'Well, why can't you just go about living a normal life and pretend this is not a big deal, because I managed to make this not a big deal.'" Breaking away When she was about 16, Robin says she started dreaming of a future outside her abusive home. With the goal of attending university, Robin started working full time at a donut shop in addition to attending high school. That schedule led to conflict with her mother and stepfather. "They felt that if I was not doing all of my chores every day as expected, that I shouldn't live there," said Robin. Getting kicked out was a turning point, she says. Her school guidance counsellor connected her with a woman who rented rooms and became Robin's mentor. When Robin was in university, she and her sisters decided to go back to the police. This time, Glen was charged with nine sex offences, ranging from gross indecency to sexual assault and sexual intercourse. He cut a deal with the Crown and pleaded guilty to four offences. On April 29, 1991, he was sentenced to two years less a day in prison, plus three years probation. In the weeks before his death on July 1, CBC Radio requested an interview with Glen. He declined. The relationship today While Glen was in prison, Robin and her siblings told their mother she had to choose between them and her husband. When he was released, Shirley chose Glen. Robin says their contact with their mother dropped off to "almost nothing for several years." Among the siblings, only Robin and Heather have a relationship with their mother now, though Robin says they don't go out of their way to see her. When they happen to be in town, they'll take Shirley to her favourite restaurant, Swiss Chalet. Heather describes her relationship with her mother as superficial. "Talking about knitting is a safe subject, and that's probably all I've really chatted with her about over the past five years." Moving forward and breaking the cycle Robin says she's worked hard to build something positive out of her traumas. She's the executive director of the Child Witness Centre, an advocacy and support agency in Kitchener, Ont., which helps kids and their caregivers navigate the criminal justice system and understand their rights. "There's a lot of wait time in this process, and this is the room that's hopefully that comfy, cosy, welcoming place for them to recuperate," said Robin during a tour of the facility. The organization has a therapy dog named Monet and a remote testimony room so children can testify in a space that's less intimidating than court. In her personal life, Robin says she waited to have her children — now 18 and 20 — until she was certain she could break the cycle of abuse and violence. She says she's made it her mission to "make lemonade out of it, for me personally, in victim services and in the life of my family and every future generation of my family to ensure that this cycle of trauma ends." "It absolutely ends with me."
