Mahamed Farah Khalif, 20, died of a gunshot wound on April 26th, 2009.
Khalif was Edmonton's tenth homicide victim of the year.
Abdikadir Mohamed Abdow, 22, and Mohamed Abdilla Awaleh, 36, were each charged with first-degree murder along with robbery and kidnapping.
Abdow was charged with an additional 17 weapons-related offences.
suspect makes bail
On a snowy day in late spring, what began as a suspicious death soon became Edmonton's tenth homicide of 2009, the fourth in five days – see below.
On April 26th, 2009 police responded to a report of a body being discovered in Hermitage Park, near Hermitage Road and Victoria Trail.
A 911 call came in at about 4:00 a.m. from a person who claimed a man had been beaten or shot to death in the park.
It wasn't until about 5:30 before officers found the victim hidden behind some bushes along a walking trail.
Indications at the scene prompted a call to homicide detectives to aid in investigating the death of an adult male.
A tent was erected over the body to protect it from a snowfall. Medical examiners and the police forensic unit remained on the scene for most of the day – see images »
By late afternoon the weather had cleared. It became apparent that police were treating the discovery of the body very seriously.
"At this time we believe it may be a suspicious death, and so we're taking precautions," Insp. Denis Jubinville told media.
"It's very concerning for us as police officers, and as members who are attempting to maintain safety within our community."
With Hermitage Park being a popular place for dog-walkers and families, police tried to quel the concerns of area residents.
"We've been given every indication the body wasn't there for a long period of time. It was fairly recent," said a spokesman.
However, those interviewed by media still had reservations about re-visiting the park – read more »
"I'd have to think twice about coming down here for a walk, that's for sure," Gisella Erhardt said.
"It's just unfortunate because now I can't even have my kids come here because it's not safe anymore. Nothing around here seems to be safe anymore."
CTV Edmonton provided graphic evidence the park served as an informal gathering place.
One person said he would "occasionally see the odd person who looks like they spent the night here."
The police tactical unit staged a high-risk take-down near Rexall Place later in the day.
Police vehicles blocked off traffic on 118th Avenue westbound, with three unmarked black SUVs boxing in a late-model dark-blue 4-door Buick sedan. Flash-bang grenades were deployed and three men were seen taken into custody.
Police would not elaborate on the incident at the time, saying only that the matter "involved a specialised unit within the department."
The next day police confirmed that charges had been laid in connection with the city's tenth homicide of the year.
Two men, aged 22 and 36, were each charged with first-degree murder along with robbery and kidnapping. The younger man faces additional weapons-related offences.
Both were from Edmonton, but police did not release their names because the victim's family had yet to be told about his death.
"People would be able to draw conclusions as to who the victim might be," a spokesman said, suggesting there was a strong connection between the victim and his attackers.
"We're hoping to be able to reach the family through the night."
It was revealed that the police drug and gang units were also involved in the investigation.
On April 28th the two men charged made a brief appearance in court at which point their identities were made public.
Abdikadir Mohamed Abdow, 22, and Mohamed Abdilla Awaleh, 36, faced a total of 23 charges in connection with the death, most of them weapons-related.
Awaleh was described as a short, balding man with a goatee. During the proceedings he yelled out that he needed a Somali interpreter.
Abdow,best known among his peers by his street name "Virus," hid a smile when his co-accused made the remark.
Crown prosecutor Shelley Bykewich advised the court it would take two days to secure a qualified interpreter. The case was put over for two days.
Police said they responded to the scene in Hermitage Park after receiving information from within the local Somalian community.
"I want to thank members from within the Somalian community for coming forward and providing us with valuble information in relation to this homicide," Deputy Chief David Korol said addressing media.
"And I also want to thank the leaders within the Somalian community for encouraging the people within their community to participate with police to help stop the violence."
One media outlet initially reported that a 911 call, made about 90 minutes before the body was found deep in the park, came from a person who claimed a man had been beaten or shot to death there. Investigators had yet to say how the caller knew the location of the body.
Police finally made contact with the victim's family in Ontario and identified him as 20-year-old Mahamed Farah Khalif.
In 2008 Khalif moved to Edmonton from Hamilton – read more »
In 2004, Khalif and his family came to Canada from a Kenya refugee camp with a group of 100 others. Khalif moved to Edmonton in pursuit of opportunities to live the "Canadian dream," leaving his mother and two brothers (one younger, one older) in Ontario.
Speaking with Global Edmonton, family friend Madina Wasuge told of her conversation with Khalif's mother.
"The thing that mom said to me was that she came here to this country with dreams ... searching for peace and stability," Wasuge said
"And it looks today, she say, it's violence that is striking in my family again."
Family said Khalif got caught up the wrong crowd after he moved to Edmonton.
According to a copy of the indictment obtained by the Edmonton Journal, police believe Khalif and another man were abducted by kidnappers armed with a shotgun.
The pair were robbed and confined, with Khalif later killed and his body left in Hermitage Park. Not indicated was a cause of death or the actual location where the murder took place.
The first-degree murder charges reflected the belief of police that the act was pre-meditated.
The second man abducted was said to be alive and safe, but authorities declined to release any further details as the matter was now before the courts.
Police said Khalif and the two suspects were members of the Somali community and knew each other but homicide section head Staff Sgt. Bill Spinks would not say how.
Spinks also declined to offer comment on whether the Khalif case had links to other recent homicides involving Somali men – see list »
- August 30th, 2008 - Mohamed Ali Ibrahim, 24, died of a single gunshot wound
outside the River Cree Resort and Casino on the Enoch reserve just west of Edmonton.
- September 16th, 2008 - Nasir Mohamad Said, 22, died of a single gunshot wound and was found behind Balwin school on 132nd Avenue west of 70th Street.
- October 31st, 2008 - Abas Abas Abukar, 21, died of a gunshot wound and was found in a field at 140th Avenue and 92nd Street.
- December 2nd, 2008 - Ahmed Mohammed Abdirahman, 21, died of a gunshot wound in a townhouse complex parking lot at 89th Street and 149th Avenue.
- December 2nd, 2008 - Abdul Kadir Mohamoud, 23, died of a gunshot wound and was found on the east side of Grand Trunk Park near 109th Street and 130th Avenue.
The list grew longer when a body found November 12th, 2009 behind a west-end synagogue turned out to 21-year-old Abdulaziz Osman Isse, a Toronto man who had recently moved to Edmonton.
Then the broad-daylight execution-style shooting of 23-year-old Robleh Ali Mohamed on November 29th, 2009 made national news after he was found dead in his car behind a downtown laundromat.
The bodies of Said, Abukar, Mohamoud and Isse were found in public spaces and with no attempt made to hide the 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 Somalis have been targeted as part of a gang turf war intended to keep them from establishing a toe-hold in Alberta.
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"We look at all our homicides throughout the year and have our analysts and detectives review all cases on a continuous basis and try to see if the crimes link together," Spinks said.
The death of Mahamed Khalif occurred on the same day members of the Edmonton Police Service and the Somali community staged a friendly indoor soccer game, part of a trust-building exercise intended to heal relations between the two groups.
Community leaders had previously been critical of police efforts to solve a growing number of homicides involving young Somali men – read more »
Mahamad Accord said his community's relationship with police was improving.
"The tension is lessening," he said.
"What happened previously was that police did not invest in the community. And the community didn't have the confidence that the police is here to protect them.
"Right now you see we turned that corner ... but we are not there where we want them," Accord said, suggesting there was still room for improvement.
Mohamed Abdi, the Somali-Canadian Cultural Society of Edmonton's communications coordinator, expressed remorse and optimism.
“We have come to know that Somali individuals are involved in the tragic situation ... and we are very sorry as it is a big shock to our Edmonton Somali community,” he said.
Abdi hoped the soccer match would promote desires for the two groups to work together “and help minimize problems by misguided elements in the community."
As details of Khalif's murder investigation were made known it was revealed that the Edmonton Police Service was readying to prepare for a problem they expected to hit local streets soon: drug-related abductions – read more »
Edmonton police have been observing the trend already prevalent in other North American cities and have brought in RCMP experts from British Columbia to train officers in a four-day course.
Staff Sgt. Stewart Callioux said the robbery unit likely doesn't hear about all abductions as kidnappers usually tell families not to go to police.
In 2007, the robbery section was involved in 20 abduction cases. The number fell to 12 in 2008 and so far in 2009 the unit wasn't called in to handle any.
"I'm pretty sure it happens probably weekly," Callioux said. "It just doesn't get reported to us."
On April 30th autopsy results were released that indicated Khalif died from a shotgun wound to the abdomen.
The search warrant used in connection with Khalif's accused killers indicated that a robbery-abduction was likely at the heart of his murder. The document also included details of the second man's harrowing experience in the case – read more »
The Edmonton Journal reported that Mahamed Farah Khalif and Mustafa Warsame were abducted by two men at the Dover Hotel at 12704 120 Street some time on Saturday, April 25th and taken to an apartment near 118th Avenue and 93rd Street.
There the captors were said to have demanded money from the two men. A shotgun was pointed at Warsame and he was told he would be held hostage "until the banks opened up on Monday."
The warrant indicated Khalif and Warsame were forced to empty their pockets, forfeiting their keys and a cellphone.
Early Sunday morning, Warsame fell asleep. One of his captors later woke him and told him they were "going shooting."
After they drove to the north side of Hermitage Park, the four men got out of the car and Khalif was shot in the stomach.
"Shoot him again," the warrant quoted one man as saying.
Warsame told police that he dove into a nearby pond and eluded his abductors.
It was also revealed that when police first arrived at the park around 5:30 a.m. Sunday they were unable to find Khalif's body. About six hours later, two constables performing another sweep found Khalif face-down in the bush.
The search warrant also indicated that later Sunday police scoured the apartment suite on 118th Avenue looking for the shotgun and the stolen items, as well as other forensic evidence.
On May 1st, 2009 Mohamed Farah Khalif was remembered during a service at the Al-Rashid Mosque at 13070 113 Street – read more »
Despite not knowing the Khalif family personally, the local Somali community rallied to the side of one of their own – picking Mohamed's mother up at the airport and welcoming his older brother who flew in from Iowa.
Mohamed Abdi, a spokesman for the Somali-Canadian Cultural Society of Edmonton, spoke with the Edmonton Sun outside the mosque before the funeral.
"It's a tragedy for the community," Abdi said. "The community will go through this problem and hopefully this will be the last one.
"Everyone was feeling sorry for the family ... we all expressed our sadness. It's something that touches everyone in the Somali community."
Abdi added that Khalif's death had many parents thinking of their own sons.
"Although they lost their child, they see they're connected and consoled," he said.
The day after the service, concerned parents and members of local Somali community gathered to show their support for a new initiative aimed at protecting their children.
"The lack of knowledge on both parents and children's parts is what is steering our youth in the wrong direction," Mohamednur Madowe, executive director of the Brotherhood Community Support Service Association, told the Sun.
Madowe, and his partner Hussein Mohamad, were behind the newly-formed volunteer organisation that planned to offer workshops and programs for families.
"We're here to support them in anyway they need," Madowe said.
The two men said it was time that a collective effort was made to end violence in the Somali community, and bring together the police, schools, and employers to tell the younger members of future opportunity.
Madowe said many Somali parents have to hold down two jobs, taking time away from family and leaving their children exposed to peer pressure.
"Many fall behind school due to a number of issues, including language barriers," he added. "Because of this, they drop out and have no idea where to turn."
The temptation of quick cash from drug sales proves too strong for some and tragic violence often follows.
The Brotherhood association said it hoped to receive funding from government to offset costs of the workshops and programs.
One suspect makes bail ...
The contents of an internal police memo, published by the Edmonton Sun, revealed that one of two men accused of the first-degree murder of Mohamed Farah Khalif was out on bail.
While front-line officers were astounded, the man's defence lawyer suggested that it shouldn't be that shocking – read more »
In addition to first-degree murder, Mohamed Abdilla Awaleh was also charged with robbery and kidnapping. His co-accused, Abdikadir Mohamed Abdow, faced the same charges plus an additional 17 weapons-related offences.
In mid-October 2009, an internal police memo advised officers that Awaleh had been released from the Edmonton Remand Centre after posting $7,500 bail.
The memo warned officers who encounter Awaleh to be extremely cautious when approaching him.
"It doesn't make any sense at all," a veteran officer told the Sun on condition of anonymity.
"When we saw it, we were astounded, baffled. I'd never heard of anyone charged with first-degree murder getting let out on bail."
The sentiment was shared by Sgt. Tony Simioni, president of the Edmonton Police Association.
"(Awaleh's case) is even more egregious because it poses a risk to public safety," he said.
"We're always concerned when cases like this are just dumped on our doorstep and we have to manage the risk. That's not what we should be doing."
Simioni and the police union have been demanding changes to the bail process for some time.
It's been over a year since Alberta police chiefs asked the provincial government to add more resources toward challenging bail applications, including the hiring of dedicated prosecutors.
In the early fall of 2008, the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police and Alberta's justice minister Alison Redford announced they would lobby the federal government for a tougher national bail law.
Under hoped-for changes, chronic offenders would need to prove why they deserve freedom. Currently, the onus is on the Crown to justify why criminals should remain behind bars.
Simioni cited statistics that say most crimes, like thefts and break-ins, are committed by a small number of repeat offenders.
Currently, the Criminal Code only offers three provisions for a judge or justice of the peace to deny bail:
if the accused is a risk to run away before the trial,
if the accused poses a risk to public safety
or if releasing the accused could jeopardise public confidence in the justice system.
Awaleh's lawyer, Peter Royal, said it shouldn't be that shocking that his client is out on bail.
Awaleh had no criminal record and the case against him is weak, Royal noted.
The defence lawyer added that his client remains highly regarded in Edmonton's Somali community, enough so that his family and friends were able to raise bail funds almost exclusively from donations.
"The charter says you shouldn't be denied bail in the absence of a just cause," Royal said. "All are presumed innocent and we're not supposed to punish before we have a trial."
Awaleh's preliminary hearing has been set for March 15th, 2010.
Royal acknowledged Awaleh's recognizance order makes reference to a 2008 charge for failing to appear in court on a matter unrelated to Khalif's shooting (Royal said he'd missed an appearance on a minor matter "on a traffic ticket or something").
Awaleh's current bail conditions include a nightly curfew and reporting every week, in person, to a bail supervisor. In addition, if police phone or come to his residence during curfew, Awaleh must respond within 10 minutes.
Justice minister Alison Redford was set to attend a meeting of provincial and territorial justice ministers in Fredericton, New Brunswick in early November 2009. Bail reform was to be on the agenda once again.
"It's a long-standing thing that most, if not all, justice ministers across the country have agreed on: we need to reform bail," ministry spokesman David Dear told the Sun.
Dear said the year-old plan to dedicate a group of prosecutors to specifically handle bail hearings had been put on hold until the provincial budget was tabled in 2010.
... the other doesn't
On November 5th, 2009 Abdikadir Mohamed Abdow, charged with first-degree murder along with robbery, kidnapping and 17 weapons-related offences, appeared in an Edmonton courtroom.
While his co-accused had been granted bail a few weeks earlier, Abdow was not so fortunate and was ordered to remain in custody.
Both men face a preliminary hearing set for three days beginning March 15th, 2010.
While much was made by media concerning Edmonton recording four homicides in five days after a two-month dry spell, these sorts of statistical abberations have occurred before – read more »
In 2008, four murders took place in nine days: (September 16th - Nasir Mohamad Said, September 21st - Arfan Ul Haq and Sean Stuart Auger in separate incidents, September 25th - David Owen O'Donnell).
In 2007, four murders also took place in nine days: (February 16th - Chancely Devlin Simpson, February 20th - David Wong, February 23rd - Robert Bruce Caldwell, February 26th - Stephen Ferguson).
But the city's deadliest time-frame took place in the fall of 2006 when a total of six people were murdered on two separate days.
On September 9th, Cody Aaron Bull, John Albert Buckniak and Lily Duong aka Lily Tran died in unrelated incidents during a 24-hour span.
And on October 29th, Thomas Tipo Orak, Jacey Sydney Pinnock and Dave Persaud were shot to death inside the Red Light Lounge.
While these 'clumpings' of murders provide easy copy for crime writers, they have little statistical value. After all, likely the last thing on the mind of a person intent on murder is a quick check of the calendar (or this web site) prior to committing their deeds.
Regarding the current rash of incidents, even police said they appeared to be random.
"Looking at it realistically, I don't know if there's anything to be on alert about ... there's no rhyme or reason between them," a spokesman said.
One veteran police officer suggested the city's early 2009 murder rate was low, a reflection of the skills of emergency medical workers.
"I'm telling you if it wasn't for how good the paramedics and the doctors are in the hospitals, our murder rate would be over 100 a year," homicide Det. Bill Clark said.
"I have no doubt about it they are saving people who should die."
Clark was speaking in connection with Mayor Stephen Mandel's call for a ban on knives in reaction to the deadly stabbings of Melvin Fred Beaulieu, Landis Tyson Stick and Brendan Malcolm McNaughton in February 2009.
However, a local crime expert figured the four murders in five days represented a grim reminder to Edmontonians that slayings remain the lifeblood of the city's underlying culture of violence.
"Canadians don't respond in the manner of this extreme violence, and Edmonton is starting to mimic American cities," Grant MacEwan criminologist Bill Pitt said.
"There's a resort to violence in this city."
In contrast to Vancouver, plagued with gang violence in 2009, the recent pattern of Edmonton murders did not appear to be gang or drug-related.
Pitt blamed a 'recurring rogue mentality and elevated levels of substance abuse and domestic violence' for the recent spate.
The sixty-day break homicide detectives enjoyed since the February 21st murder of McNaughton gave them opportunity to catch up on cold cases.
"That wishful thinking just vanished," Pitt said.
Homicide section head Staff Sgt. Bill Spinks reflected that while three of the four latest cases netted arrests (with the suspect in the McArthur shooting taking his own life), detectives still had their hands full.
"It's definitely going to be a bit more of a challenge co-ordinating historical ones and the four recent ones, that's for sure," Spinks said.
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