FLAMBOROUGH, Ont. – The man who was shot and killed early Sunday morning at house party on Highway 6 has been identified by Hamilton police.
The victim was 45-year-old Tobenna Obiaga, who police say is from Halton region.
Two other victims were taken to hospital with non-life threatening gun shot wounds, and have been released from the hospital. Police say they responded to reports of a shooting around 4:35 a.m. on June 30 at a short-term rental property at 1046 Hwy. 6 in Flamborough.
Det. Daryl Reid spoke to media Tuesday afternoon, revealing Obiaga's identity.
"He comes from a large, loving family and they're completely shocked and distraught over this," Reid said.
He said Obiaga has had no involvement with the police.
"No one can understand or explain why something like this would happen to him."
Party ends in tragedy
An altercation between four or five people began at the house, Reid said, where between 60 and 100 people were partying. Police have not yet confirmed if anyone was shot in the rental home. Reid said the altercation continued onto Highway 6, as cars were leaving the party.
He said police do not know if Obiaga was involved in the altercation.
He said a car parked on the shoulder of the road was shot, as well as a vehicle at the nearby Pioneer gas station.
He said Obiaga was in the vehicle parked on the shoulder of the road, and was found by first responders with serious wounds. He was taken to hospital, where he died. Reid said multiple shots were fired at his vehicle.
"It is our belief or our understanding that he may have been trying to get in his vehicle to leave, or to go home," Reid said.
The two other victims taken to hospital were found in the car at the gas station, and a fourth victim was injured at the house and released from hospital. That person was not injured by a gun.
Reid said police received calls about Obiaga and the Pioneer station victims separately, but have determined they were likely shot by the same vehicle.
A dark grey sedan was seen fleeing from the scene, police say, but there is no description of a suspect available.
Reid said police were able to interview people attending the party, but said there has been "a lack of co-operation." He said many people at the house fled through the woods behind Party Villa Hamilton after the shooting.
"We are urging those people to come forward with any information they may have," he said.
Neighbours away for long weekend
Highway 6 was closed from dawn until late Sunday afternoon, while police led an investigation into the shooting.
Reid called the crime scene "one of the largest" he has dealt with in several decades of working with Hamilton police as a homicide detective. Halton police and the OPP assisted with traffic enforcement while Hamilton police investigated the property. Police used K-9 units to look for other victims in the woods behind the house.
"We had the majority of patrol officers working on this at one point," he said.
Police were granted search warrants to enter the home on Tuesday afternoon.
Several cars left on the property are going to be searched later Tuesday, when police receive warrants to enter them.
Several neighbours in the area said they didn't hear the shooting, and several neighbours across the street said they were away from the Canada Day long weekend when it happened.
The property, called Party Villa Hamilton on its website, is not currently available for booking on AirBNB. Reid said he could not speak about previous calls for service to the property, but said it will be part of the investigation.
"Because the OPP do patrol the highway system there would be potentially calls generated by both police services, so detectives in the homicide unit will be following up with that," he said.
While police have not confirmed a connection to Party Villa Hamilton, one neighbour who identified himself as Brian noted there was another shooting in the area in early March, where two young women were critically injured.
Brian said after the March shooting, he watched police pick up shell casings from the end of his driveway. He said Hamilton police asked if he had footage of the March shooting, and it wasn't until their visit that he learned about Party Villa Hamilton across the road.
"It's a strange coincidence," he said.
Ward 15 Coun. Ted McMeekin told FlamboroughToday he is "growing increasingly concerned with acts of violence in Flamborough."
McMeekin said he has spoken with police Chief Frank Bergen, who suggested the shooting may have been related to a Toronto gang.
Reid said Flamborough residents may be upset or concerned following the shooting, but said it was likely targeted at party attendees, not at civilians in the area.
"Whether Mr. Obiaga was the intended victim or a misidentification, we are still looking into, but I feel confident that the shooting at the car and the shooting at the gas station were intended to be shot at those vehicles," he said.
