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Family’s Plea For Help

Storyline:National News

While police have received a high level of cooperation in the city’s latest homicide, investigators are appealing for help from friends and associates present at the time of the fatal shooting.

Three women at a podium Koos Abshir makes a plea for help finding her cousin Kabil Abdulkadhir’s killers.

At 2.44 a.m. on August 9, Kabil Abdulkadhir arrived by car near 525 Bay St., in the company of several other men.

Shortly after arriving and stepping out of the vehicle, he was fatally shot in front of the Marriott Hotel by suspects in another vehicle.

At a news conference at police headquarters on August 12, Detective Sergeant Joyce Schertzer said Homicide investigators have reviewed video obtained from the immediate area and have interviewed dozens of witnesses.

“Guests of the hotel, hotel employees and citizens have come forward to provide their observations to police, unsolicited,” said Schertzer. “We have had a great deal of success with door-to-door canvassing and understand the sequence of events… We are asking those present with Kabil at the time of the shooting to please come forward to the investigators and speak to us in a meaningful manner. The message is directed to the close friends and associates. We need your information.”

A woman stands at a podium beside a TV with a photo of a man as others look on Fouzia Hassan, distraught after her son’s death speaks at a news conference.

Relatives of the deceased, including his mother Fouzia Hassan, are pleading for help in finding who killed Kabil.

“I lost my son in front of the street,” she said at the news conference, distraught. “I want people to help me. If anybody saw or know something, contact the police.”

Just hours before his death, Abdulkadhir took his younger brother, Sharmarke Hassan, to Canada’s Wonderland.

“I miss my brother,” he said. “After we left Wonderland, he dropped me off. I love my brother and we need justice.”

Family friend Ayan Mohamed joined grieving relatives at the press conference.

“It’s really hurting me,” she said. “The last time I spoke to Kabil, he told me he had an appointment to go and get a truck licence. I have kids of my own. I have three boys… Fouzia raised her child for 27 years of her life, she went through ups and downs and, today, he’s gone. She will never talk to him again.”

Mohamed urged members of the Somali community to speak up and implore their children to stop the violence.

“It’s up to our community to raise our kids the right way. Killing, shooting and violence are not the right way. Edmonton through to Toronto and every city in the world, that’s not right for us. Whoever has any idea, whoever has any information, please come forward so we can help other children. Kabil is gone but we don’t want to lose our other boys for nothing.”

Anyone with information is asked to contact homicide at 416-808-7400, Crime Stoppers anonymously at 416−222−TIPS (8477), online at 222tips.com, text TOR and your message to CRIMES (274637), or Leave A Tip on Facebook.