Drema MacDonald has not stopped mourning for her younger brother Craig MacDonald since learning he was fatally shot in the parking lot of a Scarborough Boston Pizza restaurant two weeks ago.
The murder caught the whole family by surprise. Craig MacDonald was a hard-working man who had five children, two stepchildren, a granddaughter and got along with everyone.
“It could happen to anyone because my brother was just a regular guy and I’m telling you, everyone loved him,” said Drema, who said her brother worked at Providence Health.
He had worked his way up over the past 25 years, starting in linen services before eventually being named manager of maintenance and plant services.
It was Oct. 13 around 11:40 p.m. when police were called to a shooting in the Cinemart Drive and Milner Avenue area.
They found a man in the parking lot suffering from a gunshot wound. The man was rushed to hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries.
On Saturday, the Toronto police homicide squad announced they had identified a suspect: 32-year-old Abilaziz Mohamed of Toronto, wanted for first-degree murder. A Canada-wide warrant had been issued for his arrest.
Police also released a mug shot of Mohamed and described him as armed and dangerous.
Drema MacDonald said her brother, a fan of the Toronto Maple Leafs, had gone to the Boston Pizza with friends and family to watch a Leafs game.
While inside, she said, there was some sort of altercation with another customer.
“He came across this person and there was an altercation. I don’t know the details around that. That person left and later on when Craig left the restaurant with family and friends, that man came up and shot him,” said Drema, explaining that’s why police are seeking to lay the first-degree murder charge.
“He could have just left, but he waited for him to come out,” Drema said, calling the shooting a cowardly act.
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“You have a beef with somebody, you don’t settle a score that way. This has impacted hundreds of people.”
MacDonald’s mother, Diane Lobo, talked about the hundreds of people who came to her son’s funeral and expressed sadness after hearing about subsequent shootings since the one that claimed the life of her only son.
“The violence is just getting worse and worse. It’s got to stop. It’s just too much. Too many people are getting hurt and too many people are hurting,” said Lobo.
Craig’s sister begged the shooter to turn himself in.
“He can’t hide for long. He needs to turn himself in or if someone knows where he is, they need to contact police so my family can have some closure and resolution,” she said.
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