Police in Ontario, Canada, were negotiating with a landlord who allegedly shot and murdered two of his tenants during a landlord-tenant dispute and then barricaded himself inside his home for hours.
Saturday, May 27, at approximately 5:40 p.m., the Hamilton Police Department announced in a press release that officers responded to a residence in Stoney Creek, Ontario, where they discovered two shot-dead victims.
Authorities revealed that the occupants, a 27-year-old woman and a 28-year-old man, rented from a 57-year-old landlord. When the landlord allegedly shot and murdered his tenants, they were allegedly engaged in an argument.
When police arrived at the site of the crime, the landlord reportedly refused to cooperate with them and barricaded himself inside his property with registered firearms. Throughout the night, police cordoned off the neighborhood, and negotiators spoke with the individual in an effort to “peacefully resolve the incident.”
At approximately 10:30 p.m., the proprietor fired at a Hamilton Police armored vehicle and then fired additional rounds at police, abruptly ending the negotiations.
Following the landlord’s confrontation with authorities, authorities stated that they “invoked their mandate” and that “there is no longer a threat to public safety.” They did not specify whether the suspect was dead or in custody.
The police have notified the families of both victims, but their identities will not be made public.
Throughout the negotiation and eventual confrontation, police emergency units contained the neighborhood and warned residents to remain inside.
