Landlord Murders Engaged Couple After ‘Dispute Regarding the State of the Home,’ Police Say

A couple in Ontario, Canada, were murdered after they got into an apparent housing dispute with the man who was their landlord, authorities said.

According to Hamilton police, the landlord, whose name was not released, fatally shot engaged tenants Carissa MacDonald, 27, and 28-year-old Aaron Stone outside their home in Stoney Creek on May 27, CBC News reported.

The 57-year-old landlord barricaded himself inside the building for hours before he was killed around 10 p.m. when police shot him during “an exchange of gunfire, the Special Investigations Unit said.

According to officials, MacDonald, an educational assistant, and Stone, an electrician, died as they were attempting to flee the residence.

“They are truly innocent victims... this is a very tragic incident,” Det. Sgt. Steve Bereziuk said, noting law enforcement officers “spent considerable time last night on the phone in attempts to negotiate a peaceful resolution with the male suspect.”

According to Bereziuk, the incident appears to have been the result of “some type of dispute regarding the state of the home” and did not involve “a missed rental payment.”