Candlewood Drive Double Homicide Surrender: 15-Year-Old Shooter Rahziel Martin Surrenders to Hamilton Police; Female Accomplice Charged
HAMILTON — A high-stakes regional manhunt across Southern Ontario concluded when 15-year-old Rahziel Martin surrendered directly to Hamilton Police Service Homicide detectives to face formal double-murder indictments.
Martin turned himself in following a temporary Superior Court order that unsealed his photo and identity under an emergency Youth Criminal Justice Act (YCJA) exemption. Major Crime detectives also arrested a 34-year-old female accomplice, charging her with Accessory After the Fact to Murder and Obstructing Police for facilitating the suspect’s escape vector.
Retaliatory Bear-Spray Escalation & Ambush
The double execution tracks back to 2:25 a.m. on Wednesday, July 29, 2026, when an armed hit squad converged on a residential complex at 191 Candlewood Drive near Rymal Road East and Upper Centennial Parkway in Stoney Creek. An intense exchange of gunfire erupted, leaving 18-year-old Abdulmalek Shibli and 16-year-old Afef Binafif fatally wounded.
Shibli had arrived in Canada with his family from Syria a decade prior, while Binafif had immigrated from Yemen. Homicide Det.-Sgt. Mike Ebert confirmed the shootout was a direct retaliatory escalation following a midnight disturbance involving bear spray near Barton Street East and Centennial Parkway North.
Indictment & Suspect Matrix
- Primary Accused: Rahziel Martin, 15, of Hamilton (Charged with 2 counts of Second-Degree Murder, 4 counts of Attempted Murder Using a Firearm).
- Secondary Accused: Unnamed 34-year-old female (Charged with Accessory After the Fact to Murder, Obstruct Police).
- The Slain Victims: Abdulmalek Shibli (18) and Afef Binafif (16).
- Legal Status: Both accused appear in the Ontario Court of Justice for formal bail proceedings; YCJA publication ban reinstated upon arrest.
Hamilton Homicide Bureau Operational Log
Primary Wire Sources
- CP24 Breaking News: “15-year-old boy wanted on second-degree murder charges in fatal Hamilton shooting surrenders to police” (Published August 3, 2026).
- Hamilton Police Service Official Release: “Hamilton Police Arrest Teen Suspect in Double Homicide” (Published August 2, 2026).