CBC.ca has published a lengthy article describing Ottawa Crime in 2016 and the huge spike in homicides and gunshot incidents that saw regular coverage in the media throughout the year. Ottawa Police Services Major Crimes Unit Staff Sargent Bruce Pirt was quoted saying, "We're hoping this is just an anomaly in the statistics and that it does slow down for 2017. ... This has been a hell of a year.".
While OCN works on several articles highlighting statistics and outlining important facts, see below for our 2016 Ottawa Homicide Report.
When 2016 finally came to an end, 13 cases had resulted in arrests and charges, while in eight of the 21 total cases, over a third of homicides, either no charges have been laid, or the main suspects remained at large and wanted by police. Two days into the new year, one suspect was arrested on drug charges which are unrelated to their alleged killing.
The following excerpt from the linked article summarizes all of the 21 homicide incidents which OPS responded to in 2016 and includes two double-murders and resulted in the deaths of 24 people, severe injury to surviving victims, several orphaned children, and irreparable emotional trauma to countless friends and loved ones of those who died.
- Mohamed Najdi, 28, was shot to death in a targeted incident on the 100 block of Claremont Drive, near St. Laurent Boulevard and Hemlock Road, at about 10:40 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 10. Five people were charged with first-degree murder in April, and a sixth was charged with first-degree murder and kidnapping later that month.
- Marwan Arab, 20, was shot to death inside Shafia Restaurant at the Iris Plaza strip mall on Cobden Road on Sunday, Jan. 31, at about 5:30 p.m. His 22-year-old cousin was also shot but survived. In March, police announced that they were looking for the owner of a white Malibu seen in the area. No charges have been laid.
- Mohamed Ali Hassan, 19, was stabbed to death in Lawson Park, near King George and Isidore streets just steps from Queen Mary Street Public School, at about 9:30 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 22. The next day, 26-year-old Micheal Leblanc was charged with second-degree murder.
- Taylor Morrow-Flint, 20, was shot to death on the 80 block of Ritchie Street at about 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 2. In April, police released sketches of two men who might have been involved. No charges have been laid.
- Nooredin Hassan, 20, was shot to death while he was walking on Jasmine Crescent near Ogilvie Road at about 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, March 8. No charges have been laid.
- Christina Voelzing, 24, was shot and critically injured at her Bells Corners home at about 5 a.m. on Sunday, March 27. She was taken to hospital and remained on life support until overnight Tuesday (March 29-30). Behnam Yaali, whom she went to went to high school with, was identified as a suspect nearly three weeks later. He was arrested and charged with second-degree murder just hours afterward.
- Lonnie Leafloor, 56, was found dead at 1400 Lepage Ave., an Ottawa Community Housing apartment building, on Monday, May 2. The body had been there for several days. In October, Idris Abdulgani was charged with 1st-degree murder.
- Nicholas Kim, 30, was shot to death at 2750 Farriers Lane in Blossom Park just after 9:30 p.m. on Tuesday, May 24. Katrina Galloway, in her 20s, was also shot but survived, suffering serious injuries. Her former partner, Jonathan Ranger, is the suspect and is wanted by police. Ranger was arrested on January 2 2017, on unrelated drug charges in Thunder Bay, ON and was not yet charged related to the murder by the end of the day.
- Tarique Leger, 19, who is believed to have been visiting Ottawa and is known to police in his native Montreal, was shot to death on St. Andrew Street on Sunday, July 10. Two cars were seen leaving the area. No charges have been laid.
- Jeremy Mack, 36, was stabbed multiple times on the 1-100 block of Winthrop Private, near the Lincoln Fields Shopping Centre, on Saturday, July 23. He was taken to hospital where he was later pronounced dead. A person was arrested at the scene but was later released after successfully arguing it was self defence. Ottawa police consider this case solved.
- Omar Rashid-Ghader, 33, was shot to death inside Sentral nightclub on Dalhousie Street just before 3:30 a.m. on Sunday, Aug. 14. An arrest warrant was issued for Mustafa Ahmed on a charge of second-degree murder. He was believed to be in the Greater Toronto Area. He has not yet been arrested.
- Jacob Thompson, 40, was shot on the 2100 block of Elmira Drive around 2 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 24. He was taken to hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Brianna Kennedy and Geneva Kennedy were each charged with being an accessory to murder after the fact. Geneva Kennedy was also charged with obstructing police, which she pleaded guilty to. The other charges against Brianna and Geneva Kennedy were withdrawn. No other arrests have been made.
- Abdi Jama, 26, was shot multiple times behind a strip mall on Shillington Avenue and Merivale Road just after 6 a.m. on Sunday, Sept. 25. He was then driven to the nearby Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre, then transported to the Civic, where he was pronounced dead. No charges have been laid.
- Mitch Paquette, 55, was stabbed on Rosenthal Avenue at about 6:15 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 6, 2016. He was taken to hospital where he was pronounced dead. Daniel Adjetey-Nelson was charged with first-degree murder in the death of his children's grandfather.
- Kayla Sullivan, 30, was stabbed on the west side of the Salvation Army Booth Centre at 171 George St. at about 4:30 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 14. She was taken to hospital, where she was pronounced dead. A man in his 30s was also stabbed in the chest and taken to hospital in serious condition. Peter Herauf was charged with first-degree murder.
- Joshua Briere, 26, was stabbed several times at 1098 Clyde Ave. at about 2:30 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 22. He was taken to hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Brandon Ethier was charged with second-degree murder.
- Solomon Odekunle​, 21, was stabbed to death at the intersection of St. Laurent Boulevard and Ogilive Road at about 2:30 a.m. on Sunday, Nov. 6. Joe Bryan Ndikuriyo was charged with second-degree murder.
- Dave Rogers, 69, and Merrill Gleddie Rogers, 63, were found stabbed to death in the backyard of their home at 1614 Apeldoorn Ave. at about 10:20 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 28. They had been killed about two weeks earlier. Their son, Cameron Rogers, was charged with two counts of first-degree murder.
- Leslie Mwakio, 17, was found shot in an SUV parked on Bayswater Avenue at about 10:40 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 6. He was taken to hospital, where he was pronounced dead. No charges have been laid.
- Lee John Joseph Germain, 32, was shot to death at 571 McLeod St. just before 4:30 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 10. A Canada-wide warrant was issued for 33-year-old Steven Frenette on a charge of first-degree murder, and he turned himself in on Dec. 16.
- Abdullah Al-Tutunji, 20, was stabbed to death outside a McDonald's on Meadowlands Drive E. at about 2:45 a.m. on Sunday, Dec. 11. Jorden Larocque-Laplante, also 20, was charged with second-degree murder.
- Nasiba A-Noor, 29, and Asma A-Noor, 32, were stabbed to death at a home on McCarthy Road near Paul Anka Drive at about 9 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 16. Their brother, 29-year-old Musab A-Noor, was charged with one count of first-degree murder in Asma's death and one count of second-degree murder in Nasiba's death.
We wish to express condolences to the families and friends of those who were so tragically and unexpectedly taken away from them in the past year. Our thoughts and prayers are with you, and those working to solve these awful crimes. We strongly encourage the general public to constructively voice any concerns about the unsolved murders and unidentified murderers publicly, to police officials and to politicians.
Check back to OCN soon for similar summaries and data on crime in the city over the past year.
Check back to OCN soon for similar summaries and data on crime in the city over the past year.