'Harsimrat was innocent bystander': Canadian police arrest man months after Indian student killed; investigation still under way

Canada Police have arrested a 32-year-old man, Jerdaine Foster, in Niagara Falls, Ontario, charging him with first-degree murder in connection with the fatal shooting of Harsimrat Randhawa, a 21-year-old Indian student.Acting Det.-Sgt. Daryl Reid announced at a Thursday press conference that Foster faces three additional charges of attempted murder, CBC news reported.Randhawa, who had travelled from India for her studies, succumbed to her injuries in hospital after being struck by a stray bullet on April 17. The incident occurred near a bus stop at Upper James Street and South Bend Road intersection, shortly after she disembarked from a bus.Reid said that Randhawa was an innocent victim who was returning from her gym session when the incident occurred."Harsimrat was an innocent bystander. She was simply trying to make her way home from a local gym when she was struck and killed," CBC news quoted Reid as saying. The shooting stemmed from a confrontation involving at least seven individuals in four vehicles. The investigation continues as authorities seek other suspects.

Foster, who has connections to Hamilton, Halton and Niagara regions, resided in temporary accommodation and was previously known to authorities. Multiple firearms were involved in the exchange of gunfire between vehicles.Chief Frank Bergen linked this incident to another tragic case involving Belinda Sarkodie, 26, who lost her life in July under similar circumstances. A 17-year-old suspect remains wanted in connection with Sarkodie's death.The five-month investigation leading to Foster's arrest was described by Bergen as complex but provided relief to affected communities. Randhawa was pursuing occupational physiotherapy at Mohawk College in her second year, as per CBC news.Her professor, Micheline Lancia, shared at a memorial service: "It's very, very overwhelming to see a student who was doing so well, gentle, respectful, a little bit timid — she would have been a beautiful health-care worker. So, it's a loss to everybody."