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Homicide detectives and the gang unit were busy working what might have become Edmonton's fourth homicide of the year – the third in less than a week – while media identified the victim as a participant in a previous unsolved murder.

At about 6:00 p.m. January 24th, 2008 emergency services were called to a home at 13564 158 Avenue after an injured man called 911 saying he had been shot.

It appeared a 27-year-old man answered a knock at his front door and was shot multiple times in the upper body by a lone gunman who was seen by at least one witness running away from the upscale home.

Several family members could be seen gathered on the street while officers poured into the house.

Paramedics had to stand by as officers cleared the scene.

The gunshot victim wasn't wearing any clothes when police found him lying on his front step and he wasn't answering any questions when he was taken to the Royal Alexandra Hospital where he remained listed in critical condition.

Early reports indicated he suffered bullet damage to his aorta and several vital organs and was initially given a less than 25-percent chance of survival.

Police stated the man, who was shot through a closed glass door, was a known gang member. No shell casings were found outside the home, leading investigators to believe the gun used may have been a revolver.

The house and area remained cordoned off overnight as officers gave the scene a cursory examination.

Complicating matters for police were two other victims who arrived at Edmonton hospitals just as they were dealing with the shooting in Castle Downs.

"We have a report that there was a victim who arrived at the Grey Nuns hospital approximately a half-hour after this incident suffering from stab wounds and he may be linked to what happened here," Staff Sgt. Ken Hykawy said. That victim was later reported to be in stable condition.

"And there is also another victim who arrived at the Royal Alexandra Hospital suffering from a gunshot," Hykawy added. That man is refusing to co-operate with investigators.

"When they first interviewed the victim at Grey Nuns, he admitted to involvement in this incident, (but) he has since retracted that."

Police said they weren't familiar with the two other victims and don't believe their injuries were related to the Castle Downs shooting matter.

Area residents told media they weren't sure exactly how many people lived in the gunshot victim's house but knew the principle occupant as "Omar." A man who showed up at the scene identified him to CBC Edmonton as his son, Omar Hussein.

While police have not released the name of the person, he was described by neighbours as a reasonably friendly man but few knew little about him except that his family visited often and that he often hosted visitors.

But one woman who lived nearby had her suspicions.

“There was always people, in and out, in and out,” she told media. “We thought there was something up.”

Detectives quickly stated the assault was gang-related and the Metro Edmonton Gang Unit was taking an active role in the investigation.

As night turned into day a heavy police presence remained at the scene. Officers waited for a search warrant to allow them access to the home. Investigators hoped an examination of the home's interior would help them out with a motive to the shooting.

As crime scene technicians took stock, evidence of gunfire could be seen in the stucco walls of the house.

Global Edmonton spoke to an excited next door neighbour who had heard the shots.

"I just heard a big bang but I don't know what happened," the man said. "And I look in the front and I look in – I open my garage – I thought something – first I thought something hit my house or my car."

News of the shooting was news to some approached by Global's reporter.

"Oh lovely," Barb Toet said when told of the gang-related incident. "That's a little close to home, you know. You wouldn't think in a new developed area and stuff right because we've been here for three years and it's always been quiet and calm."

"In our cul-de-sac there's like thirty kids. You think it's like safe and everything but I guess it really isn't safe," the woman realised.

A police spokesman brought media up to speed with the latest official word on the case.

"We do believe this to be gang-related. Certainly the victim has strong gang ties in the city and is well known to police," Jeff Wuite confirmed.

"The victim himself has certain strong gang ties we are aware of so our gang unit have been notified and are participating in the investigation. Currently we're trying to locate witnesses as well as collect evidence."

Concerning the rash of violence that took place at the same time of the shooting in Castle Downs, Wuite seemed to complicate the picture as much as he tried to clarify it.

"At this point we did have another stabbing victim last night but it was in another area of the city and completely unrelated to this call," Wuite said.

"In regards to a second gunshot victim, too, we have no evidence at all that anyone else was shot in this city last night."

The spokesman's words seemed at odds with earlier media reports.

Without more information forthcoming from police sources, there was speculation about the victim's identity and his possible involvement in the execution-style shooting of Ola Tinineh Moses (pictured above) in a hip-hop clothing store on May 6th, 2007.

CBC Edmonton first reported on its web site the shooting victim was Omar Hussein, but on its supper-hour newscast of January 25th the broadcaster carried an interview with the man's father who confirmed his identity as Omar Househ.

Househ had been charged with kidnapping with a firearm, two counts of unlawful confinement, assault with a weapon, uttering threats causing death or bodily harm, pointing a firearm, and possession of a loaded prohibited or restricted firearm in connection with the Moses homicide case.

One other man, Samer Farzat Chehimi, is also wanted for kidnapping and two counts of unlawful confinement in relation to the matter. He remained at large.

When speaking to the CBC, Sam Househ said he knew his son was immersed in the gangster-lifestyle. He asked that his identity be hidden, fearing for his safety.

In addition to concealing Househ's identity, CBC's on screen graphics also obscured the man's words.

"I feel bad and sad for my son like any father you know," the man told CBC's reporter. "I don't like to see anybody go through the burden I go through."

Sam Househ said his son was living at his mother's home under house arrest. He was asked if he felt gangs were a big problem in the city.

"This is not a big problem, this is a huge problem," he replied. "And police, they can't do nothing ... they can't do nothing."

The father said Omar fell in with the wrong crowd in his teens and was involved with gangs ever since, despite his efforts to raise an honest son.

"No father likes to see his son in this situation or what he did or what ever, you know. I try my best not just for him cause I'm father, everybody father."

For Househ, the answer to gang violence lies not in tougher sentencing or changes in the justice system but in stronger family ties.

"Just hold my advice to let everybody take care of their kids and live a better and honest life," Househ said.

When the north end shooting occured, Omar Househ was free on bail.

On January 26th and for two days afterward, Global Edmonton also reported that the victim of the Castle Downs shooting was Omar Househ. The station quoted "unnamed sources" – likely figuring no one had seen the earlier CBC broadcast.

While no one had been charged with murder in the Moses homicide, police did confirm that Nawar Jawad was once a prime suspect.

Unfortunately for investigators, on December 2nd, 2007 Jawad was found frozen in a ditch on the outskirts of the city. He had been beaten to death, stripped naked and set on fire before he could be questioned. It took four days for his body to thaw before the 'Y' incision could be made.

"We're one suspect down in the Moses case. Nawar Jawad is one guy we suspected may have pulled the trigger," homicide Det. Bill Clark told media at the time.

While homicide detectives have not gone on record stating as much, those responsible for Jawad's murder would likely be strong suspects in the shooting of Omar Househ.

At last word the victim of January 24th's shooting remains in critical condition.

In the wake of the shooting, the Edmonton Sun posed an online poll soliticing the comfort level of their readers.

The one-day voluntary poll allowed only one response per computer.

The Sun accompanied their coverage of the shooting by interviewing a youth social worker who predicted it would take the death of an innocent bystander before Edmontonians "woke up" to what was happening on city streets.

Len Untereiner, founder of the Spirit Keeper Youth Society, cited the shooting at Joey Tomato's and the home invasion-related death of Westleigh Michael LaFleur as signs "that drugs were running the streets."

While investigators have tied gangs to recent gunplay, Untereiner told the Sun that puts a police spin on a community problem.

"This is all about drugs and youth," Untereiner said.

"The word 'gang' means nothing these days. These shootings are about (drug trade) market share. This is about getting your customers back and making those who lured them away from you pay for it. Instead of having a sale, these guys use guns."

Untereiner added it was just a matter of time before an innocent bystander gets killed in Edmonton.

"These guys aren't marksmen. They just fire a hail of bullets and run."

"The signs are all here now, but the reality is it will take that kind of death before the community starts taking a closer look at fixing this," Untereiner stated.

"It's not about police and gangs. It's about people like you and me and every youth in this city."

The social worker's words echoed those of Kevin Galvin, head of the Edmonton Police Service's Co-ordinated Crime Unit.

At a media presentation held in November 2007, Galvin foreshadowed the same scenario as predicted by Untereiner.

Using parallels from the business world, Galvin illustrated the structured nature of the drug trade in Edmonton. With product delivered casually pizza-style by high school gang-wannabes and lavish parties feted on successful partners at downtown penthouses and mountain retreats, Galvin cautioned the good times of Edmonton's criminal enterprises may soon come to an end.

"There's a group of young people who get involved with a business process that they think is the MTV lifestyle and they are not prepared for the violent end of it," Galvin warned. "And when it occurs they don't know how to get out."

At last word, Omar Househ seemed to have escaped the lifestyle's final answer. For Ola Moses and Nawar Jawad, it came too late.

deadmonton 2008 - january crime report - the shooting of omar househ