By Pamela Roth, QMI Agency
Monday, January 03, 2011
"The investigation is going to go nowhere without co-operation. We believe they know exactly who killed this guy and none of them will say," said Edmonton police homicide detective Bill Clark. "If we got co-operation, this one we could easily solve."
Around 3 a.m. Sunday, a 23-year-old man was celebrating the New Year when he was gunned down at the Papyrus Restaurant and Lounge.
Police found the man dead on the floor of the lobby while numerous people were still inside the bar.
A second man, 26, was also shot and taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
Clark said that man isn't co-operating with police either.
Both men are known to police, who don't believe it was a random attack but aren't saying if it was gang related.
Clark estimates there were at least 100 people in the bar at the time of the shooting.
He said a few people have come forward, but only one person gave a description of the shooter.
"I have no doubt there are people in that bar that know exactly the name and the identity of that shooter, but if they don't want to give it, we can't force them so we are at a standstill," Clark said.
Police have yet to release the identity of the man, but members of the local Somali community said his name is Mohammed Jama, who was raised in Edmonton and looking forward to the birth of his first child.
The shooting is among more than a dozen that have occurred in the Somali-Canadian community in northern Alberta since August 2008.
Many of the cases remain unsolved and have prompted Somali leaders, police and city politicians to come together and try to address the problem.
Mahamad Accord, president of the Alberta Somali Community, said people want to co-operate with police, but are often afraid to come forward for fear their lives will be at stake.
He blamed the mayor and city council for failing to give police the tools and resources needed to break down cultural barriers and ensure potential witnesses are protected.
In past cases, witnesses have been intimidated and sometimes threatened for speaking out, added Accord.
"They feel they are not protected by the police. Police need to come up with another game plan," said Accord, who noted Jama wasn't involved with gangs or drugs.
"This is no joke. The people who are doing the killing have no respect for life. The gunman who killed him has no hesitation to come after another person."
Accord said more than 50% of the Somali community in Edmonton are young and often have "nothing to do," which causes problems.
Instead of placing the blame on others, Clark said the Somali community needs to deal with young members of the community who are causing the bulk of the problems.
"A lot of these kids are gangsters and drug dealers," said Clark, who noted unco-operative witnesses is a common problem in many of the region's Somali shooting cases.
"These community leaders and some of the parents tend to turn a blind eye on this stuff and it doesn't help the situation."
Source: Toronto Sun