Family and friends gathered in the lobby of a North York apartment building Monday to mourn the loss of 55-year-old Mohamed Wasughe, who was shot in the chest overnight.
He was battling Alzheimer’s and moved away from his wife and five children to the building near Jane St. and Weston Rd. a few months ago, family members said.
Adel Omar, 23, was in disbelief that someone would murder his father.
“I’m at a loss for words,” Omar told the Star. “We’re just trying to keep the family together. We’re just trying to stay strong.”
Police were called to the 12-storey brick building on Sidney Belsey Cres. just after midnight Monday.
Police found Wasughe and a woman who was pistol-whipped on the head. Police have not released any details about the woman or her condition.
Wasughe was rushed to hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Neighbours said they heard a single shot. There’s blood on the door and carpet outside Wasughe’s ninth-floor apartment. Homicide investigators closed the elevator across the hall and blocked it off with police tape.
Police do not have a suspect description.
On Monday, members of the Somali-Canadian community came and went to the building where Wasughe lived alone, hoping to try to find out what happened to a man described as kind and quiet.
“He was a great man — always helped the community, always there for his people,” said nephew Nassir Adan.
He said illness had been weighing on Wasughe.
“They were giving him multiple medications. It wasn’t good — a lot of side effects,” Adan said.
Neighbour Peter Brown ran errands with Wasughe hours before he was killed. Brown said he drove “the very nice man” to a variety store, to a bank and to pick up a key.
“It’s startling for me,” he said.
Residents were rattled by the news of a murder in a usually peaceful building.
Paola Durante came home at 1:30 a.m. and was forced to wait in the lobby for hours before police let her return to her apartment on the same floor as the murder.
Jeanette Smith moved in to the building on Sunday and was trying to unwind when police knocked on her door at 1 a.m. She hadn’t heard the gunshot.
“‘Oh, my gosh, welcome home.’ That’s what police said,” Smith said. “I just moved in. Now I want to move out.”
With files from Amanda Kwan
Source: The Star (www.thestar.com)
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