Hamilton police have arrested a 22-year-old man in connection to a fatal south-east Mountain stabbing.
In a media release Monday morning, police said they were called to a home on Cadham Boulevard, a short residential street between Upper Gage and Broughton avenues, just after 10 p.m. Sunday.
Police said family were gathered at the home when a 22-year-old male family member stabbed a teenage victim.
The 16-year-old boy was taken to hospital where he later died of his injuries, said police. The suspect fled the scene.
Police confirmed late Monday morning that the suspect was in custody. It’s unclear where he was arrested and when his identity will be released.
No further details have been released of either the victim or the suspect. It is unclear if they lived at the home or if they were attending the gathering.
Under grey and rainy skies, police had taped off the two-storey home and its driveway, loaded with four vehicles, on the corner of Cadham Boulevard and Upper Gage Avenue.
Cruisers sat sentry on the street Monday morning and an officer guarded the entrance to the home. In the backyard, a blue tarp was thrown over a gazebo protecting it from the pouring rain.
Neighbour Joe Nelligan told The Spectator that the gathering was a “quiet party,” with mostly young people attending. Nelligan said a father and his two sons live at the home.
“I didn’t really see anything until the fire truck first pulled up,” said Nelligan. “And then a whole whack of (emergency responders) came.”
Nelligan said not long after the fire truck arrived, he saw paramedics bring one person out of the house on a stretcher, with one paramedic “on top of them trying to resuscitate them.”
More police arrived after that, Nelligan added, with the whole street being taped off as officers from the K-9 unit helped comb through backyards.
Nelligan said the street is typically very quiet, with nothing more than the occasional ambulance coming to the nearby court.
“We never have anything like this in the area,” said Nelligan. “It was hard to sleep last night knowing someone young was killed … it hits a bit too close to home.”
Homicide investigators remain at the scene.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Det. Matthew Girgenti at 905-546-3874. To remain anonymous, contact Crime Stoppers by calling 1-800-222-8477 or submit tips on online at crimestoppershamilton.com.
More to come.
