Adu Boakye (L), Belinda Sarkodie and Alfred Okyere

The tragic killing of 26-year-old Belinda Sarkodie in Hamilton, Canada, has intensified concerns about the safety of Ghanaian nationals and international students residing in the country.

Sarkodie, a Ghanaian student, was fatally shot at a bus stop on Friday, July 11, 2025, becoming the third Ghanaian to fall victim to gun violence in Canada over the last 17 months.

Preliminary reports from Hamilton Police confirm that the shooting involved two other individuals, one who died on the scene and another who sustained injuries but survived.

No arrests have been made, and investigations are ongoing.

Authorities believe one of the male victims may have been the intended target.

“At this time, we believe the suspect may have known the male victim and targeted him. There is no information to suggest that the suspect and Belinda Sarkodie were known to each other, or that she was targeted,” police stated.

But this is the latest in a series of violent incidents involving Ghanaian nationals in Canada.

In January 2025, Alfred Okyere, a Ghanaian international student, was shot in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, just a week into his new job.

The 23-year-old had been living in Saskatoon for only four months when he was stabbed multiple times while at work on January 20, 2025.

The suspect, Okyere’s co-worker, 53-year-old Troy Francis Leclair, was arrested that night in downtown Saskatoon.

He remains in custody, charged with first-degree murder in the city’s first homicide of 2025.

In February 2024, 39-year-old Ghanaian father of four, Adu Boakye, was fatally shot while waiting at a bus stop in northwest Toronto.

According to Toronto Police, Boakye and a 16-year-old boy were shot less than 24 hours apart in what investigators described as indiscriminate attacks.

“Our investigation thus far has revealed there is no relationship between Mr. Boakye and the individual, or individuals, who shot him,” Detective Phillip Campbell told reporters. “And like the victim shot the day before, Mr. Boakye was innocently going about his business when he was shot.”

The deaths of these 3 have heightened fears among members of the Ghanaian diaspora in Canada and raised urgent questions about the vulnerability of immigrants, particularly students and young workers, to random violence.

For Ghanaians in Canada and back home, these incidents are painful reminders of promising lives cut short far from home.

As investigations continue, the Ghanaian community mourns once again, hoping that Belinda Sarkodie will be the last name added to a growing list of victims.

JKB/EB

Meanwhile, you can watch GhanaWeb TV’s exclusive interview with Arathejay below: