Family 'distraught' after 17-year-old girl killed in shooting on St. Matthews Ave.

A 17-year-old girl is dead, police say, after she was shot at a Hamilton home early Wednesday morning.

Officers were called to 16 St. Matthews Avenue near Barton Street East around 4 a.m. and found the teen inside with a gunshot wound, said Det. Sgt. Steve Bereziuk during a media update.

The girl was transported to Hamilton General Hospital just down the road, but was pronounced dead at 9:30 a.m.

"The family is extremely distraught," said Bereziuk. "They're hysterical, you can imagine, getting this information."

The 17-year-old was a student with Hamilton's Catholic school board, but police are not releasing the teen's name or any other information that could identify her at the request of her family.

The shooting is believed to have happened on the main floor of the home, said Bereziuk. The girl did not live there, but was friends with at least one person who did.

Sue Cormier lives in the semi-detached home next door to the house where the teen was shot.

The walls between the buildings are thin and Cormier was awoken around 4 a.m. by people screaming "at the top of their lungs," she said.

"At least three people just screaming out 'Oh my God, Oh my God.'"

It was a mix of male and female voices, according to Cormier. Then she heard someone run out front.

The neighbour said she didn't hear any gunshots, just screaming.

The teen killed in the shooting was "way too young to go," said Cormier.

2 suspects in their 20s

Police believe as many as five people were inside at the time and the detective said they're searching for two suspects.

Both are white men in their early 20s. One has short brown, possibly buzzed hair, while the other has longer brown hair, he said.

Bereziuk described what happened as a "very sad incident" and said police have spoken to witnesses who are cooperating.

The home was not on the police's radar, so the shooting was "a bit of a shocking event," he said.

Investigators are asking everyone who was inside the home when the trigger was pulled to contact them.

"We need to find out what happened and we do believe we will be able to identify the people who were in the house," said Bereziuk. Police are also seeking a warrant to search the home.

A dried pool of blood was on the sidewalk in front of the home Wednesday afternoon, and a trail of drops led from the open front door through a hallway inside.

The AC was running and the back door was ajar, showing a sliver of a cinder block wall behind the house.

Police believe the two suspects ran out the back and into an alley, said Bereziuk.

The gun used in the shooting has not been recovered. Investigators are planning to search the block and are asking residents living nearby to be on the lookout for the firearm.

While police are still working to determine a motive for the shooting, Bereziuk said there's currently no evidence connecting the shooting to any other recent incidents where shots were fired.

The entire street was ringed in police tape Wednesday morning, but it came down shortly after 1 p.m. as detectives continued to investigate and officers spoke with residents.

Rachel Braithwaite lives near the scene and described the shooting as "scary."

"It breaks your heart when something like this happens in your backyard," she said. "I really feel for her family and friends."

She pointed out the community is resilient and proud, but has struggled with a lack of support.

"When people aren't getting the help they're screaming for, it blows up."

Shakeel Hanif owns a property around the corner from St. Matthews Avenue and shared a similar sentiment.

"It's sad," he said of the shooting.

Although he wasn't there when it happened, Hanif said the neighbourhood has long been plagued with drugs and violence.

"There are problems in this neighbourhood and we need help. We really need help."