Nearly nine years after the killings of 26-year-old Hussein Merhi and 24-year-old Russell Sahadeo, investigators from opposite ends of the country are saying that those responsible may be hiding out together.
In March of 2015, Merhi was unexpectedly shot in a Calgary alleyway. The sound of gunshots was captured on a child’s iPad as he played in his backyard in the quiet community of Monterey Park.
Six months later, Sahadeo was stabbed to death in Toronto’s Noble Park as he was getting set to begin college.
Now investigators, some 3,000 kilometres apart, are teaming up to capture Kier Bryan Granado, wanted for the murder of Merhi, and Tommy Ngo, wanted for the murder of Sahadeo, as they believe the men may be evading arrest together.
Both Granado and Ngo are on Bolo’s most wanted list. On its website, the Bolo Program is described as “an award-winning breakthrough initiative leveraging social media, technology and innovative engagement to encourage citizens to be on the lookout for Canada’s most wanted.”
Last spring, a new reward was posted for information leading to the arrest of Kier Bryan Granado to increase tipsters’ motivation to call in.
The crime
“The victim’s vehicle came into the alley off of California Boulevard behind Del Rey Road and parked right here, facing southbound,” Calgary police spokesperson Martin Schiavetta said. “He exited his vehicle and as he did, he was met with the worst possible scenario.”
Schiavetta also expressed the shock of the neighbourhood.
“It’s a hard-working community. It’s quiet in the northeast part of Calgary. There’s lots of families. Very unassuming. You wouldn’t expect that such a violent crime would occur in that alley.”
Merhi’s family shared a statement with Global News expressing the pain of losing their son.
“He was the youngest of five kids and an uncle to his nephews and nieces who miss him very much. They lost a friend. The pain of our loss has been exacerbated by the senselessness of it all.”
Schiavetta echoed the tragedy of the senseless murder. He said Merhi was an unsuspecting victim.
“Our victim wasn’t expecting to be targeted. Without warning, he was fired upon and died shortly thereafter in the alley by himself,” he said.
While Merhi met his untimely fate alone, Sahadeo was out with a group of friends when he was stabbed.
The 24-year-old was celebrating the last night of summer with his friends and girlfriend. He was getting ready for his first day of college and planning to study business.
Sahadeo got into a verbal altercation with Ngo and two other men. Moments later, the men returned and police say the fight escalated physically. A single stab would kill Sahadeo and put a neighbourhood on edge.
“From all accounts, (he was) a good, good young man,” said Les Dunkley, lead investigator in Sahadeo’s murder. “Wrong place, wrong time, wrong encounter with the wrong people. And that’s very sad.”
In both incidents, the alleged attackers fled the scene immediately.
About Granado and Ngo
Granado stands at five feet and weighs 83 pounds. He has brown eyes and black hair that is often dyed blonde. Granado also has a full-sleeve tattoo on his left arm.
Ton Quoc-Hoang Ngo, also known as Tommy Ngo, stands at five feet six inches and weighs 135 pounds.
Although Granado is wanted for a crime in Calgary, a big break in the fall of 2021 placed him much closer to Ngo.
“Working extensively with our partners with the Toronto Police Service, we actually identified Mr. Granado through a review of CCTV in the Queensway area of Toronto,” Schivetta explained.
Investigators believe Granado may be living under a false identity.
“We believe Tommy Ngo is connected to an organized crime gang in Toronto, and that gang has direct ties to the FK. So it would be natural or an investigative assumption that if Kier Granado was in the GTA that he would be supported by Tommy Ngo,” Schiavetta said.
Tips continue to come in
While years have passed, investigators from both Calgary and Toronto remain hopeful that Granado and Ngo will be captured.
“We’ve gotten multiple tips every year in regards to where it’s going to go… And we’ve been able to follow up on these tips,” Dunkley said.
“We have allocated a lot of resources from the Calgary Police Service to work in Toronto with the Toronto Police Service, and wherever the information comes in on his whereabouts, we’ll work with any law enforcement agency anywhere in the world and support them to hold them accountable,” Schiavetta said.
To learn more about the hunt for Kier Bryan Granada and Tommy Ngo, tune into Global TV’s brand new series Crime Beat: Most Wanted, an eight-part series covering the hunt for Canada’s Most Wanted, premiering Oct. 28 at 7:30 p.m. EST.