TORONTO – Police in Toronto say a 24-year-old man who was gunned down outside his east-end home two months ago was killed simply because of the neighbourhood he lived in.
Det. Jason Shankaran told a news conference on Thursday that Samatar Farah was killed on April 15 as part of an alleged feud between people in his neighbourhood and a housing complex about 10 kilometres to the south.
Calling Farah “one of the good guys,” Shankaran said the man was not part of the alleged feud and was not known to police.
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The detective says Farah was sitting outside when he was approached by two people who shot him. He was found dead in a parking lot by a passerby.
Shankaran says two men were arrested on Thursday as police executed 11 search warrants in Toronto and Ottawa.
He says arrest warrants have been issued for two other men and he called on them to surrender to police.
Shankaran said Farah was not specifically targeted by his assailants.
“The only thing that he did was be a resident of Chester Le Boulevard,” he said.
“The community of Chester Le Boulevard was targeted by these individuals who came in from Parma Court seeking to exact some kind of vengeance for some perceived slight.”
Shankaran said investigators have linked Farah’s shooting to an incident that occurred two days earlier in which two suspects approached three men who were outside a home and began shooting at them.
The incidents were related to “an ongoing feud between persons residing in the Parma court housing complex and those residing in the Chester Le neighbourhood,” he said.
He declined to elaborate further on the nature of the alleged feud.
“It’s senseless and pointless,” Shankaran said of Farah’s death.
“His life wasn’t senseless and pointless, but the way he died was.”
Taufiq Stanley, 20, of Toronto is facing 12 charges, including first-degree murder, three counts of attempted murder and possession of a firearm.
Trevor Barnett, 25, of Toronto is facing three charges of attempted murder stemming from the incident that took place prior to Farah’s shooting.
Both were set to appear in a Toronto court Thursday.
Two Canada-wide warrants have been issued for Alexander Fountain and Shaquan McLean, both 23 and of Toronto.
Fountain is wanted for three counts of attempted murder and one count of first-degree murder.
McLean is wanted for three counts of attempted murder.
Police have released security images of both suspects, who are believed to be armed and dangerous.
Anyone with information is asked to contact police at 416-808-7400 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 416-222-TIPS (8477).
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