Adrienne Naraine has visited the Rexdale shopping plaza many times since her 21-year-old son Amir Naraine’s body was found in the backseat of his car more than a month ago.
But on this day, this grieving mother said she feels worse than before. The makeshift memorial left here by the family for Amir has been taken away.
“I just feel so upset. His flowers are gone, his picture is removed — it’s like his car was never there,” she explained.
It was around 7 p.m. on Sept. 29 when police were called to the strip mall on Kipling Avenue, south of Steeles Avenue West, after someone reported a suspicious vehicle.
When officers arrived, they found the Brampton man dead in the backseat of his black Chevrolet Malibu. Amir had been shot.
Police subsequently released video surveillance showing two men leaving Amir’s car in the parking spot just after midnight on Sept. 29. It would be 19 hours before police would discover his body.
Investigators have been trying to identify the two men seen in that surveillance video, calling them witnesses. But so far, they have been unable to do so.
Now Amir’s mother told Global News the family was aware that her son had been shot prior to being found by police that night. Adrienne said a friend of her son’s called her and said that Amir had been shot and he was missing. She said she was also told another friend had also been shot. Adrienne said she called her eldest son and asked him to help.
“I was freaking out. I was with my friend. I said, ‘Let’s jump in the car. Let’s go look for him.’ I went to the hospital,” explained Amin Said, adding he thought he might find his little brother Amir.
“He had the nerve to ask me, ‘Where’s Amir?’ I said, ‘You’re telling me you were with him last, how would I know?’
So I was asking, ‘Where is he?’ And he said, ‘He should be at a hospital.’ So I’m like, ‘How are you here? You only got shot in the arm.’ And from what I heard, my brother got shot very badly.”
Amin said the friend was unable to tell him anything about where the shooting happened, except to say Brampton, and could not explain why Amir was missing.
Toronto Police Homicide Squad Det. Sgt. Andy Singh said investigators are aware a second person was shot and are trying to speak with that witness. He said they still don’t know where the shooting happened, adding their focus remains on identifying the two men seen in surveillance video leaving Amir’s car at the plaza that night.
“If the public can see that video, I want to re-iterate that no piece of information is too small. Every little bit helps,” said Singh.
Adrienne said she is also anxious for answers.
“Somebody needs to say something. He was sitting here for so long. They walked out of that car like he was nothing,” she said.
“How are they out there sitting, eating, hanging out with their families? God is good, and God will shed light to this. They can hide all they want.”
Meanwhile, the family has now rebuilt a small memorial for Amir and are praying for justice in this case.
Anyone who can help identify the two men seen in the video released by police is asked to call the homicide squad at 416-808-7400 or crimestoppers.