Friday April 22, 2016
By: Evelyn Kwong
Toronto Police have released video surveillance capturing the fatal drive-by shooting of 20-year old Abdullah Farah last Sunday in front of a Danforth hookah lounge.
The video, which captures Farah arriving at Cloud 9 Café at around 1:26 a.m., shows him in the company of two other men, while meeting a third on the sidewalk. He attempts to enter the hookah lounge, but is denied access. Minutes after, while stepping in between two parked vehicles on Danforth, multiple shots were fired from a white four-door sedan that Toronto Police have yet to identify.
Upon Farah’s arrival, the suspect vehicle is seen trailing back and forth in front of the café – driving eastbound on Danforth as Farah and his group arrives, turning back westbound, and making another turn to head back east bound when multiple shots were fired.
Homicide Detective Leslie Dunkley told media that he was not releasing details on why he was denied access to the hookah lounge, but believes that either Farah, or the group he was with were the intended targets in the shooting.
“Abdullah has no criminal record… and he has no known gang affiliation that we know of.” Dunkley said.
The suspect vehicle was last seen fleeing north on Danforth, and running a red light to head north on Coxwell Ave.
Farah’s family arrived to speak with media – describing Farah as a “loved” young man with an “unbelievable number of friends.”
“I want to make this clear, our brother was not known to police,” Abdullah’s sister said. “He had goals and aspirations in life that were cut short way too soon.”
She also commented on the “all too common” unsolved homicides within the Somali community, and the media’s influence on shaping misconceptions around the homicide.
“Our family is deeply disturbed by the recent reports in the media suggesting that it was confirmed that our beloved brother was as target of this crime” she said. The “carelessness in reporting often criminalizes and stereotypes many victims that are members of marginalized communities.”
Farah’s family has asked that the media respect the their privacy.
“Our brother was killed by a bullet and we don’t want his character assassinated as well,” Farah’s sister told media.
Farah’s death, the third homicide in three years near an eatery recently renamed the Cloud 9 Café has confirmed that it will be closing and re-opened as a child care centre.