'She thought she was safe here': Ghanaian woman killed in Hamilton shooting remembered as honest and kind

Aura Carreño Rosas · CBC News

· Posted: Jul 16, 2025 4:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 9 minutes ago

Belinda Sarkodie near Ghana successful 2024 to question refuge successful Canada. On Friday, she was killed successful Hamilton portion she was with a person and they were waiting for a bus.

"That's not just ... She thought she was harmless here," said Evelyn Aidoo.

Although not a humor relative, Aidoo was regarded arsenic 26-year-old's aunt — someone Sarkodie considered household distant from home.

Aidoo described Sarkodie arsenic "kind, honest, cheerful, supportive." They were supposed to conscionable connected Saturday. But the time before, she recovered retired astir Sarkodie's decease done societal media.

"I was sent a connection done a clip that a young Ghanaian had been killed successful Hamilton. Her sanction was Belinda and I didn't deliberation it was the aforesaid Belinda I knew.

"I didn't privation to judge it." 

On Monday afternoon, Aidoo spoke to CBC Hamilton by the autobus halt wherever Sarkodie was killed portion she was determination with others to lay flowers.

Sarkodie, who was calved successful the assemblage of Konongo successful Ghana, was the youngest of 3 children and helping enactment her parent backmost home.

Those who knew her said she was astute and had large dreams.

According to police, Sarkodie was an "innocent bystander" during the shooting adjacent James Street North and King Street West. 

Police person issued a warrant for the apprehension of a 17-year-old suspect.

Co-workers 'are each devastated'

Through a connection from Hamilton police, Sarkodie's household said she was an "affable idiosyncratic known for her warmth, kindness and gentle spirit," and leaves down a sister and mother successful Ghana, and a member who lives successful Manitoba.

Sarkodie worked astatine the Hamilton airport, but made it a wont to sojourn Jackson Square connected Fridays for market shopping.

Her person and co-worker, Grace Nasiru, said Sarkodie had been working a lot, and made plans to spell retired and bask past weekend. They had spoken that greeting to robust retired details of their outing, Nasiru said.

Nasiru said Sarkodie called successful the afternoon, little than an hr earlier she was shot, to cheque up connected her since she was besides having a engaged week.

"I got disconnected the phone with her, similar conscionable 30 minutes, 45 minutes, and [a friend] called maine backmost that my person is lying present dead," Nasiru said from extracurricular Jackson Square connected Monday.

She said Sarkodie was lasting with a communal person astatine the autobus halt erstwhile the person walked distant to cheque if the autobus was coming soon.

"When helium turned, my sister was connected the floor."

The friend called Nasiru first, and she and others instantly left work and travelled downtown to place Sarkodie's body. One of them told CBC News that the assemblage was covered with a broad erstwhile they arrived.

The days since person been a "nightmare," said Nasiru.

Sarkodie, 1 of respective Ghanaian women moving in the airport's crushed handling area, was a hard idiosyncratic and "favoured" by supervisors, she said. 

"If you spell to my workplace, it's not an casual thing. They are not adjacent capable to work. They are each devastated."

Vigil planned for Friday downtown

Nasiru said Sarkodie was trying to prevention wealth to continue her acquisition successful biology science, aft graduating with honours successful Ghana. 

Emmanuel Duodu, president of the Ghanaian-Canadian Association of Ontario (GCAO), said helium was shocked astir Sarkodie's death.

He didn't cognize her personally, but heard from the assemblage that she was a astute and personable pistillate with "hopes and aspirations" successful Canada.

"What I'm telling everyone successful our assemblage is that we person to enactment strong," helium said.

Duodu said helium wants to promote the Ghanaian assemblage successful Canada to spell astir their lives without fear. "This doesn't bespeak the assemblage we unrecorded in, in this country."

Duodu said galore people, some wrong and extracurricular the community, have reached out, asking what they tin bash to help. 

"At this point, I deliberation we are besides trying to gather ourselves to bash immoderate small fundraising present and determination for the burial."

The GCAO set up a GoFundMe, aiming to rise $40,000 for Sarkodie's ceremonial and to enactment her family.

The Ghanaian Association of Hamilton said successful a media merchandise Tuesday that it is "with heavy daze and profound sadness," it mourns "the tragic decease of a subordinate of our community." 

It said a vigil for Sarkodie is planned for Friday from 5 to 6 p.m. astatine King and James streets. The relation said it is besides moving with different Ghanaian organizations to assistance the household backmost successful Ghana.

Aidoo said Sarkodie's household wants to travel to Canada to accidental their past goodbyes to their loved one.

She besides said the household and assemblage anticipation for an apprehension and charges.

"Belinda deserves justice."