WATCH ABOVE: Calgarians come through for man wanting a memorial for his fallen brother. Global’s Nancy Hixt reports.
CALGARY – A 19-year-old whose brother was murdered at a house party is finally finding some peace thanks to the generosity of Calgarians.
After Global News reported Mount Royal University student Chatim Metkurjock’s plea for help to afford a proper burial site for his brother, 160 people donated to his GoFundMe page.
With a Calgary police detective by his side, he picked out a headstone Thursday for the grave more than three years after the killing.
“I waited for so long…a long time to get this done, and to get it done today is so amazing,” said Metkurjock. “I don’t even know any of these people, I never met them. It’s just so kind…I never knew society was this caring.”
His brother, Gatleak Metkurjock, was murdered in January 2012, just two years after the pair arrived in Canada. The brothers were born in Sudan, and when war broke out and their father was killed, they escaped the violence. Chatim was just eight years old when they fled; Gatleak was 15.
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The brothers ended up in Kenya, where they stayed in a refugee camp for several years.
“Probably without him I would be dead,” Chatim said in a past interview.
The brothers thought they were safe when they came to Canada in 2010. But Gatleak was murdered at a Bankview house party in January 2012.
Metkurjock said he’s overwhelmed to finally be able to honour his brother. He plans to put his brother’s picture on the headstone, with a soccer ball to show his favourite sport.
“It just shows the support of Calgarians and the generosity when people are really down on their luck and have gone through such tragedy,” said Calgary Police Det. Dave Sweet.
Watch Nancy Hixt’s original story below: Murder victim’s brother hopes Calgarians will contribute to memorial
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