2 teens arrested after violent Hamilton break-in where 1 was shot, 2 others injured

Two teenagers have been arrested after a shooting in Hamilton's east end that has one man battling life-threatening injuries.

Police said the teens, aged 15 and 18, were arrested at the scene of the shooting, which took place during a home invasion in a northeast home Tuesday morning.

The arrests come after five people burst into through the back door of a home at 21 Holly Ave. and demanded the contents of a safe. Neighbours say a couple lived there with their teenage son.

Neighbours called police to report a break and enter, said Const. Steve Welton. Police heard gunshots when they arrived. 

Three people are injured, Welton said. A 46-year-old man was shot. "Somewhere along the line," he said, "it escalated to using a firearm." He didn't give details on the nature of the other injuries. 

​Welton said officers went to the home after receiving a report of a breaking and entering in progress, and when officers arrived, they heard gunshots.

Police took two suspects into custody on scene, Welton said. The other three ran off, leaving a car behind. If anyone in the neighbourhood sees something suspicious or someone hiding, he said, they should call 911.

Welton said there is no evidence the break and enter is linked to any other crime, but police are checking all possibilities. He also said it is not immediately clear why the home was targeted.

Neighbour Marjo Daniels said the residence is home to a couple and their teenage son. She said they had lived there for close to a decade and ran a home renovation business.

Daniels said the woman who lives in the home told her five people burst into the house from the rear and demanded the contents of a safe. The man was shot when he came downstairs after hearing a commotion.

Daniels said she's been friends with the family for a few years, and that they're nice, quiet people.

"They're the kind of people where if you're walking, (they'll say) 'Where are you going?' 'Wal-mart.' 'Come on, get in.' They'll drive me," she said. "The whole neighbourhood is family orientated."

A second neighbour, Lori Thompson, also said the family was quiet. She said the owners had told her before they bought the place and restored it, it had been a crack house.

The attack is a shock to the neighbourhood, she said. "My heart is pounding," she said as she heard the details.