Cops say the victim and his accused killer didn’t know each other.
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Nor was the attack provoked.
But now, Hamilton homicide detectives are investigating the city’s 10th homicide of 2024 following a stabbing at Peddles Tavern on Barton St. E.
According to cops, officers were called to Peddles at around 1:45 a.m. on Sunday following reports of a stabbing. Shah Ghafoori, 34, of Hamilton, was rushed to a hospital, where he died from his injuries.
“They were not known to each other and this was unprovoked,” Det.-Sgt. Sarah Beck told reporters.
Charged with second-degree murder is Pierce Herod, 28, of St. Catharines. He was arrested at the scene.
Beck added that the accused was known to police, and there was “nothing to foresee this type of violence.”
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Both men had been in the bar before the stabbing, and Ghafoori was allegedly followed out the door and stabbed in the bar’s vestibule, Beck said.
Ghafoori died from a single stab wound to the upper body, she added.
In August, there was an unrelated shooting in Peddle’s parking lot when officers discovered two men — ages 20 and 28 — with non-life-threatening injuries.
“My information is the incident that happened at Peddles Tavern was not directly related to the tavern itself. It just occurred in the parking lot,” Insp. Jim Callender told reporters at the time.
“I don’t know if there was a disturbance that happened within Peddles earlier or anything like that, but it just happened to be in the vicinity of Peddles Tavern.”
The veteran detective added that the August shooting appeared to be targeted.
Cops investigate after woman goes missing
Meanwhile, earlier this week, the homicide unit announced they were investigating the mysterious disappearance of Shalini Singh, 40. She had been reported missing by her family on Tuesday.
Singh had last been in contact on Dec. 4. She has not been heard from since.
“Information gathered by investigators has caused growing concern surrounding the circumstances of Shalini’s disappearance,” police said in a release on Thursday.
“As a result, this investigation has now been assigned to the homicide unit.”
Singh is described as 5-foot-4 and 120 pounds. She has brown eyes and shoulder-length black hair. Cops said investigators did not believe Singh had access to a vehicle.
@HunterTOSun