Tracy Huffman
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That was the message from family and friends of shooting victim Abdikarim Ahmed Abdikarim at his funeral yesterday at an Etobicoke mosque.
More than 1,200 mourners and members of the Somali community filled the Khalid Bin Al-Walid mosque near Kipling Ave. and Rexdale Blvd. united in their position that vengeance will bring no good.
"Peace and love. ... Everything is going to be okay," said the 18-year-old's father, Ahmed Abdikarim, when asked what he would like to say to his son's killer. He asked that revenge not be sought.
The grieving father, a former professional soccer player in his native Somali, urged people to speak to police to help solve his son's slaying.
The other five victims suffered gunshot wounds but were able to attend the funeral yesterday.
During the funeral, Berhan Said, a friend of one of the surviving victims, addressed a message to the young people. He asked that they overlook the violent death.
"God is just. God is merciful. Let God handle it," he told them, urging them not to retaliate. "We don't want more people shedding blood."
The shooting was captured on video by security cameras in the Lawrence Heights housing complex. Police released the chilling footage in hopes of finding the killer.
The immediate family – including Abdikarim's five siblings – have not seen the video, said family spokesperson, Abdi Warsame.
"It was gruesome. It was horrific," he said. "... For most of us Somalis, it was a reminder of the civil war that we escaped from back home."
The family is angry, he said, but they will get through their grief and find peace. "We do not know why this murderer chose to take our boy's life," Warsame said. "We are advising the youth to remain calm and let police do their job."
Abdikarim's family came to Canada 20 years ago to escape the violence of their homeland. His father works as a cab driver, his mother as a school bus driver and his older siblings are university-educated. Abdikarim had dreams of becoming a doctor, Warsame said.
"We would like all of the community to come together and please identify this killer," he said.
High school teacher Peter Banhan was fighting tears as he said the victim was a happy teenager full of energy. "He's athletic. He's always laughing. That's his thing. ... I remember him as a kid who was always smiling, always having fun," said Banhan.
City councillor Howard Moscoe attended the service and said the city is working to rebuild Lawrence Heights, a housing project he called a "social disaster, a mistake."
"We have a lot of work to do in this city," he said. "We have to make housing communities better places to live. That's why we are planning the rehabilitation of all of them."
Homicide Det. Sgt. Brian Borg said he has received new leads since releasing the video and posting it on YouTube and Facebook.
Source: Toronto Star, Mar 19, 2008