Harsimrat was killed by 'senseless act of gun violence'; Canadian police arrests man for murder of Indian student

A man has been arrested and charged with first-degree murder by Hamilton police in the April death of Harsimrat Randhawa, a 21-year-old Indian student and innocent bystander killed by a stray bullet in Hamilton, Canada, after months of investigation

Indian student killed in Canada Harsimrat Randhawa via X

A Canadian man was arrested after being charged with first-degree murder of a 21-year-old Indian student, Harsimrat Randhawa, in April. 

Hamilton police said at a press conference that Jerdaine Foster, 32, was arrested in Niagara Falls, Ontario, on Tuesday. 

The man was also charged with three counts of attempted murder.

Randhawa, the Indian student, died at the hospital after she was hit and injured by a stray bullet after she had gotten off at the bus stop. She was standing and waiting to cross the road at the intersection of Upper James Street and South Bend Road on April 17. She studied occupational Physiotherapy at Mohawk College 

 Acting Detective Sergeant Daryl Reid said that the "Harsimrat was an innocent bystander," and "She was simply trying to make her way home from a local gym when she was struck and killed." The bullet had struck her in the chest after she was caught between the crossfire of a violent confrontation involving multiple vehicles.

About seven people in four cars were involved in the dispute, which saw at least two guns being fired at each other. However, no other arrests have been made. Foster, the accused, has ties to Hamilton, Halton and Niagara Falls. "The investigation is still ongoing, and we will do everything in our power to identify, locate and arrest all these people who are involved in this death," Reid said.

Chief Frank Bergen said Randhawa lost her life to "a senseless act of gun violence," and said that the arrest was a complex one, which took around five months and said that it was  a "much welcome outcome for our grieving communities."

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