A Canadian couple engaged to be married shot dead by their landlord in the front yard of their home has been photographed for the first time.
Police found dead 27-year-old Carissa MacDonald, who worked as a teaching assistant at a local Catholic school, and her 28-year-old electrician fiancé, Aaron Stone.
They had run away from the house when they were shot dead after an argument over mold with their landlord.
The pair rented the basement of a house owned by 57-year-old Terry Gerald Brekka, who lived above them.
The pair got into an argument with Brekka, stemming from a “disagreement over issues within the house,” Det said. Sergeant Steve Bereziuk, of Hamilton Police’s Major Crime Unit.
Carissa MacDonald, 27, who worked as a teaching assistant at a local Catholic school, and her electrician fiancé, Aaron Stone, 28, were both shot dead
Police were called to the Stoney Creek district of Hamilton, Ontario, at 5:40 p.m. Saturday after the couple were found dead on the lawn in front of the home
Evidence markers can be seen on the ground at the scene of a murder investigation in which a couple was shot dead
The engaged couple lived in the basement of this house in Stoney Creek, Hamilton, Ontario
A police officer takes photos at the scene of a murder investigation near Jones Road and Barton Street in Hamilton, Ontario
Authorities were called to the house in the Stoney Creek district of Hamilton, Ontario at 5:40 p.m. Saturday amid reports of gunfire.
The suspect then barricaded himself inside before being killed in a shootout with police.
“(They were) both hard-working people, which added to the tragedy of this event,” he said.
Neither the couple nor Brekka were known to police, Bereziuk confirmed, making what happened “a little bit more shocking.”
Bereziuk added that the murder of the young couple was very shocking.
“As you can imagine, these aren’t people this should be happening to,” he said.
“They are not involved in any kind of crime or lifestyle that could lead to an incident like this. They really are innocent.’
Hamilton police say the dispute between the landlord and the couple is related to a mold complaint in their rental unit.
The couple is pictured at their home at the rear of the building
The couple were on the run from their landlord Terry Brekka, 57, who had argued with the couple over mold in the basement where they lived
Aaron Stone was an apprentice electrician with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, while Carissa MacDonald spent the past three and a half years with the Brant Haldimand Norfolk Catholic District School Board and graduated from Mohawk College
After shooting the pair, Brekka barricaded himself in the house, with weapons he was legally holding.
Bereziuk said police spent ‘considerable time’ negotiating a ‘peaceful solution’ with Brekka, but that he opened fire on them at around 10pm and was shot dead.
The standoff ended in a “firefight” with a police officer, the Special Investigations Unit (SIU) said.
On Monday, Det. Sergeant told Steve Bereziuk CBC news how the tenants complained about the problem some time before their landlord shot them.
“That’s what we’re looking into to see if that’s indeed what this was about,” Bereziuk said. “I think the big question is why this happened, a lot of people want to know. We may never be able to answer that.
“It’s a perfect storm of tragedy in this case because you can’t predict something like that and you can’t prevent it,” Bereziuk continued.
“Because no one was on our radar, at least for the Hamilton police. It makes it hard to understand how things can be done [happen]especially when it comes to a dispute between landlord and tenant.’
Aaron Stone was an apprentice electrician with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, while Carissa MacDonald spent the past three and a half years with the Brant Haldimand Norfolk Catholic District School Board and a graduate of Mohawk College.
“Our prayers are with her family and with all individuals affected by this tragic situation,” said School Board spokesman Tracey Austin.
Families and staff were notified of the “incredible loss,” Austin said.
A police officer walks along Jones Road in an ongoing investigation into the double homicide
Police were on the scene for most of Sunday trying to figure out what had happened
Hamilton police say the dispute between the landlord and the couple is related to a mold complaint in their rental unit
A search of Brekka’s house led to the discovery of several legal weapons
A police officer handles evidence at the scene of a murder investigation
Members of the Special Investigations Unit (SIU) at the scene of a murder investigation near Jones Road and Barton Street in Hamilton
Hamilton Mayor Andrea Horwath expressed her condolences and shared her concern over the shooting.
“I was deeply saddened to hear about this senseless tragedy this weekend, and my heart goes out to the families of the victims,” she said in a statement.
Sandra Chaisson, a resident of the area of the incident for more than four decades, said the landlord bought the Jones Road house from her grandparents.
Chasson told CP24 News that Brekka lived in the home for over 20 years after purchasing the property in 2003 for $115,000.
‘He was very quiet. A very calm man. I haven’t seen him much, just to wave hello, but I haven’t seen him in a long time,” she said.
“The tenants were in the basement, but I didn’t know them, just to see them at the mailbox.”
Chaisson said she was watching TV around 10 p.m. when she heard six to eight high-speed shots.
“It was kind of scary,” she said. “It’s a shock to all of us.”
Tony Greenly, a neighbour, described the landlord as “bad news” and noted that he often stood on his roof to watch them.
In the “harassment,” Greenly built a carport to block his view.
“It’s like we couldn’t breathe in our own backyard,” Greenly said CBC news.
“I was terrified,” Joanne Greenly, Tony’s wife, added as she recalled the shooting. ‘That could have been us. He could have gone crazy enough to actually get them [the shotguns] out. I feel sorry for the young couple – so young.’
A search of Brekka’s house led to the discovery of several legal weapons.