Belinda Sarkodie left Ghana in 2024 to seek refuge in Canada. On Friday, she was killed in Hamilton while she was with a friend and were waiting for a bus.
“That is not fair … she thought she was safe here,” said Aidoo.
Although it was not a blood relative, Aidoo was considered the 26 -year -old aunt, someone who considered the family away from home.
Aidoo described Sarkodie as “kind, honest, cheerful, supportive.” They were supposed to be on Saturday. But the day before, he learned of Sarkodie’s death through social networks.
“They sent me a message through a clip that a young Ghanaian had been killed in Hamilton. He was called Belinda and I didn’t think it was the same Belinda I knew.
“I didn’t want to believe it.”
On Monday afternoon, Aidoo spoke with CBC Hamilton next to the bus stop where Sarkodie was killed, while she was there with Sarkodie’s girlfriend and several co -workers to put flowers.
Sarkodie, who was born in the Konongo community in Ghana, was the youngest of three children and helped support her mother at home.
Those who knew her said she was smart and had great dreams.
According to the police, Sarkodie was an “innocent spectator” during the shooting near James Street North and King Street West.
Police have issued an arrest warrant of a 17 -year -old suspect.
The days since they have been ‘a nightmare,’ says her girlfriend
Through a statement by the Hamilton police, Sarkodie’s family said he was a “affable person known for his warmth, kindness and gentle spirit,” and leaves a sister and a mother in Ghana, and a brother who lives in Manitoba.
Sarkodie worked at Hamilton airport, but had a habit of visiting Jackson Square on Fridays to buy groceries.
His girlfriend Grace Nasiru also worked with her at the airport. Nasiru joined Aidoo outside Jackson Square on Monday.
She said Sarkodie had been working hard, and had made plans to go out and enjoy last weekend. They had talked that morning to iron the details of their excursion, said Nasiru.
Nasiru said Sarkodie called in the afternoon, less than an hour before they triggered her, to verify her since she was also having a busy week.
“I put my phone with her, like only 30 minutes, 45 minutes and [a friend] He returned the call that my friend is lying here, “said Nasiru.
She said Sarkodie was standing with a common friend at the bus stop when the friend left to verify if the bus would come soon.
“When he turned, my sister was on the floor.”
The friend first called Nasiru, and she and others immediately left the job and traveled to the center to identify Sarkodie’s body. One of them told CBC News that the body was covered with a blanket when they arrived.
The days since they have been a “nightmare,” said Nasiru, who told CBC Hamilton after the initial publication of this article that the two were a couple.
He also said that Sarkodie sought refuge in Canada as a member of the 2SLGBTQIA+community.
Sarkodie, one of several ghane women working in the airport floor management area, was a worker and “favored” by supervisors, he added.
“If you go to my workplace, it’s not easy. They can’t even work. Everyone is devastated.”
Planned vigil for Friday at the center
Nasiru said Sarkodie was trying to save money to continue his education in environmental sciences, after graduating with honors in Ghana.
Emmanuel Duodu, president of the Ghana-Canadian Ontario Association (GCAO), said he was shocked by Sarkodie’s death.
He did not know her personally, but heard of the community that she was an intelligent and pleasant woman with “hopes and aspirations” in Canada.
“What I am telling everyone in our community is that we have to stay strong,” he said.
Duodu said he wants to encourage the Ghana community in Canada to follow their lives without fear. “This does not reflect the community in which we live, in this country.”
Duodu said that many people, both inside and outside the community, have communicated, asking what they can do to help.
“At this point, I think we are also trying to gather to make some fundraising here and there for burial.”
The GCAO established a Gofundme, with the aim of raising $ 40,000 for the Sarkodie funeral and supporting its family.
The Ghana de Hamilton association said in a press release on Tuesday that it is “with deep shock and deep sadness”, and cries “the tragic death of a member of our community.”
He said that a vigil for Sarkodie is planned for Friday from 5 to 6 pm in King and James streets. The association said it is also working with other ghana organizations to help the family return to Ghana.
Aidoo said Sarkodie’s family wants to travel to Canada to say goodbye to her loved one.
He also said that the family and community expect an arrest and charges.
“Belinda deserves justice.”
