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WARNING

Abdulaziz Osman Isse, 21, was found dead on November 12th, 2009.

Isse was Edmonton's twenty-fourth homicide victim of the year.

Case status is open and active.

A synagogue in the city's west end was the scene of police activity after a body was discovered near a dumpster.

Police got the call at about 8:45 a.m. November 12th, 2009 after staff at the Beth Israel Synagogue at 131 Wolf Willow Road found a man lying face down behind the building.

The body, which police described as that of a "black adult male," was clothed in a jacket, baggy green T-shirt and baggy jeans.

Homicide detectives had to cool their jets and wait for forensics staff to arrive before they could roll the body to see who the victim was – see images »

"When staff at the synagogue came into the synagogue, they noticed him lying there and called police immediately," was all a police spokesman would initially confirm.

"The death is being treated as suspicious at this time," homicide section Staff Sergeant Lorne Pubantz said in a later news release.

"It is too early in the investigation to determine the circumstances surrounding the death."

Officers cordoned off the area and remained at the scene for most of the day, checking the nearby wooded ravines ...

... and canvassing the neighbourhood. The man's body was removed by medical examiner staff late in the afternoon – see images »

Residents of the Westridge neighbourhood said it was not uncommon to see homeless people sleeping in the ravines – read more »

Police asked anyone who had seen suspicious activity in the area over the past few days to call 780-423-4567, Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477), or to contact them online at www.tipsubmit.com

Tips can also be text messaged. In Edmonton, text TIP250 + message and send to CRIMES (274637). In Northern Alberta, text TIP205 + message and send to CRIMES (274637).

On November 13th police took the unusual step of not waiting for official word from the medical examiner's office and announced that 21-year-old Abdulaziz Osman Isse suffered apparent gunshot injuries and that his death was now ruled a homicide.

An autopsy was scheduled for later in the day to confirm his cause of death.

Police said Isse was originally from Eastern Canada and was not known to local authorities.

Contrary to early speculation, he was not homeless. Reports indicated Isse had recently moved to Edmonton from Toronto where he was facing charges for robbery and uttering threats. RCMP in Fort McMurray were also aware of Isse although details were not disclosed.

While gang and drug section officers were notified, a gang or drug involvement had not been confirmed by investigators.

In addition, the murder appeared to have no connections to previous homicides in the city (see below), or to the synagogue near where Isse's body was found.

A police spokesman said investigators believed Isse was killed where his body was found.

“He had not been there for very long,” the spokesman said, adding that detectives were following several leads but “no one is in custody at this point.”

Police continue in their efforts to track Isse's recent movements.

So many Somali men ...

News of Abdulaziz Osman Isse's death quickly spread through Edmonton's Somali population. Once a small group of refugees, the community is now nearly 10,000 strong but remains tight-knit.

Ahmed Hussen, president of the Canadian Somali Congress, was contacted by the CBC for his reaction to Isse's death.

"I was saddened by the news," Hussen said. "I thought that it was unfortunate because a lot of good work had been done in the last number of months to prevent this sort of thing from happening."

Hussen was speaking of the trust-building exercise between Edmonton police and the Somali community, something he was part of.

"For the last few months things had been going very well, so it was a shocking day.

"I'm hoping that it's an issue – that this one fatality – is an exception rather than a new pattern of violent activity. We hope that it's an exception to the good work that has been happening."

Unkown at the time, Hussen's optimisim would be dashed in less than three weeks.

A spokesman for the local Somali society said it would try to comfort Isse's family.

"We always extend a helping hand when it's needed by families," Mohamed Abdi of the Somali-Canadian Cultural Society told the Edmonton Sun.

That generosity has been put to the test over the past year-and-a-half due to an ever-growing list of young Somali men apparently slain because of ties to the drug trade – read more »

On August 24th, 2008 Mohamed Ali Ibrahim, 24, died of a single gunshot wound suffered while leaving the River Cree Resort and Casino on the Enoch reserve just west of Edmonton. A woman was also injured.

Ibrahim had been living in Edmonton for about a year and had family in Toronto where he had been released on a peace bond after a robbery charge against him was withdrawn in March 2007.

Two men were each charged with first-degree murder and attempted murder.

Construction workers came across the body of 22-year-old Nasir Mohamad Said on September 16th, 2008 behind Balwin school on 132nd Avenue west of 70th Street.

The former Toronto man was shot where he was found and investigators believed his death was drug-related. While he wasn't known to police in Edmonton, he was wanted on several outstanding warrants in Ontario and was facing charges in Fort McMurray.

On October 31st, 2008 the body of 21-year-old Abas Abukar was discovered lying in field near 140th Avenue and 92nd Street.

Abukar died of a gunshot wound. He had been living in Edmonton for several months after moving from Toronto. No progress has been reported in solving his murder.

A man shot on November 9th, 2008 in Fort McMurray was later identified as 17-year-old Daniel Asarfo-Adjei. He had only been in the northern Aberta city for a few days.

RCMP confirmed the incident was drug-related and that Asarfo-Adjei was known to the Toronto Police Service.

On December 2nd, 2008 the body of 23-year-old Abdul Kadir Mohamoud was found in Grand Trunk Park near 109th Street and 130th Avenue. He had been beaten and shot to death.

At last word, the investigation into Mohamoud's death had stalled.

Hours later on December 2nd, Ahmed Mohammed Abdirahman was found dead after shots were fired in the parking lot of the Dickinsfield III townhouse complex at 89th Street and 149th Avenue.

The 21-year-old had his jaw blown off by at least one shotgun blast. Police said they have no motive or suspect information.

On April 26th, 2009 the body of Mahamed Farah Khalif was found in Hermitage Park, near Hermitage Road and Victoria Trail. The 20-year-old Hamilton man had been shot as part of a kidnapping and robbery that also involved one other man.

Two men, apparently known to Khalif, were each charged with first-degree murder along with robbery and kidnapping, with one man facing an additional 17 weapons-related offences. Family said Khalif got caught up the wrong crowd after he moved to Edmonton.

Like Isse, the bodies of Said, Abukar, and Mohamoud were found in public spaces and with no attempt made to hide their remains.

Criminologists have long speculated that such killings are "message murders," intended as a warning to members within the criminal community.

It has been speculated that the Somalis have been targeted as part of a gang turf war intended to keep them from establishing a toe-hold in Alberta.

Seventeen days after Isse's death, the broad-daylight execution-style shooting of 23-year-old Robleh Ali Mohamed made national news.

Mohamed, originally from Ottawa, was known to Edmonton police. What wasn't known was what he was doing behind a downtown laundromat in his Grand Marquis and why, according to witnesses, three men wanted to shoot him.

The Edmonton Police Service web site entry for Abdulaziz Osman Isse can be seen here.

All the information presented on this page has been compiled primarily from published media reports and should not be interpreted as having legal bearing or other prejudice against the individuals named on this web site.
The Last Link on the Left practices fair presentation and the disclosure of relevant interests.
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deadmonton 2009 - abdulaziz osman isse