By Charlie Senack
It was a typical summer evening at Hampton Park Plaza. Residents were out shopping for groceries at Food Basics, picking up alcoholic beverages for the weekend at the LCBO, or a quick dinner at Subway. Then suddenly gunfire rang out.
At about 6:09 p.m. on July 5, 29-year-old Adam Abdullahi Elmi was shot to death outside of Fat Bastard Burrito near Carling and Kirkwood Avenues. Shoppers in the area reported hearing two bangs — similar to a knock on the door — then saw a man lying on the ground. They tried to perform CPR but it was too late.
There are various accounts of what happened. Some eyewitnesses reported seeing Abdullahi Elmi in the burrito shop talking on the phone before stepping outside. Others said he was sitting in a vehicle beside the restaurant when a gunman approached and shot him in the face. Police have not commented about what they have learned.
Two men, both suspects in the Westboro area shooting, have a Canada-wide warrant out for their arrest. They are Soubere Yusuf Alki and 23-year-old Kennedid Atteyeh. Both are Black men over six feet tall who are suspected to have fled the country.
Atteyeh is wanted for accessory after the fact to murder and an upgraded charge of first degree murder. Alki is wanted for first-degree murder.
While incidents like this are rare, it’s the second shooting to rock Westboro this year. In mid-March, a 25-year-old woman was shot by police after allegedly trying to flee a traffic stop at Churchill and Avondale Avenues. She was taken to hospital in critical condition. After a four-month investigation, the Special Investigations Unit (SIU) cleared the unidentified male officer of any wrongdoing and said he attempted to protect himself from a “reasonably apprehended attack”. The woman involved was turning toward the officer with a loaded Smith & Wesson handgun.
Kitchissippi ward Coun. Jeff Leiper said that while acts of violence are upsetting in any community, they cause more of a panic when they are in areas not known to be problematic.
“This was a broad daylight shooting. People worry about people being caught in gunfire. Gunfire is always dangerous and people are unsettled and have been expressing that,” Leiper told KT. “We do live in a very safe city.”
Leiper said he believes one of the ways to address gun violence in the city is by ensuring more support and social services are available to those in need.
“These sorts of incidents and the presence of crime — be it violent or not — is a sign of inequities in our society. The degree in which we address those, in my view, is the most important way we try to build safer communities,” he said. “Poverty, addiction, and mental health issues create unsafe conditions in the city. There is a lot of work to be done to ensure every resident of Ottawa has a quality and dignity of life that gives them alternatives to crime. We need to strive to build a more equal society.”
Homicide connections
Abdullahi Elmi had been near gunfire before. On Sept. 2, 2023, he was celebrating his marriage when shots erupted outside the wedding reception being held at the Infinity Convention Centre in South Ottawa.
The parking lot incident left two people from Toronto dead and six others injured. Police later said the victims were not the intended targets and 50 rounds of ammunition were used. Two weddings were being held that night; the other was not targeted.
Ten months after that Hunt Club area homicide took place, police still don’t have any suspects and are still searching for clues over what happened. To “not jeopardize the integrity of the investigation,” police will not say if multiple shooters were involved, if shots were fired from a vehicle, or if arrests are expected.
In a statement to KT, a police spokesperson wouldn’t comment on whether they believe the two incidents are related.
“The Ottawa Police Service Homicide Unit continues to actively investigate both the Infinity Centre homicide and the murder of Mr. Elmi,” said police. “All leads and lines of inquiry are being investigated.”
On July 22, Ottawa Police Chief Eric Stubbs confirmed their was a link between the two incidents, but would not comment further on how they were connected.
Community crime stats
In Kitchissippi ward in 2023, there was one case of attempted murder, 160 incidents of assault, and 1,333 situations where theft of $5,000 and under was reported. There were also 138 incidents of mischief, four cases of arson, 22 robberies, 68 thefts of a motor vehicle, and 198 break and enters.
Bay ward had one case of attempted murder in 2023, 238 incidents of assault, 26 incidents of theft of $5,000 and under and 156 reported cases of mischief. There were also two cases of arson, 36 robberies, 87 thefts of a motor vehicle and 144 break and enters.
Somerset ward reported one homicide and one attempted murder in 2023. There were 421 assaults, 1,824 cases of theft under $5,000, 442 incidents of mischief, 16 arson attempts, 59 robberies, 60 incidents of theft of a motor vehicle, and 343 break and enters.
*Data is reported from the Ottawa Police crime map*
