‘Gang overtones’ to fatal Etobicoke shooting: police
Posted March 20, 2015 3:16 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Toronto police said a murder in Etobicoke this week has “gang overtones” and was retaliation for a shooting in the same building just hours before.
Malcolm Marfo, 22, was shot on Tuesday, minutes after police cleared their investigation into the shooting of 21-year-old Ahmed Siyad at 2063 Islington Ave., near Dixon Road. Residents found Marfo lying on the ground and saw suspects running from the area.
Marfo was conscious and breathing when police arrived, but died in hospital on Thursday.
“It appears at this stage that the murder of Mr. Marfo may be retaliatory in nature for the shooting of Mr. Siyad,” Det.-Sgt. Mike Patterson said at a news conference on Friday.
He said there’s no evidence Marfo shot Siyad, and police are “not sure” if Marfo was the intended target when he was shot five hours later.
He said despite the gang activity associated with some people in the investigation, Marfo didn’t have any such ties, only a minor conviction years ago.
“Mr. Marfo appeared to be a loved son and brother and upstanding community member,” Patterson told reporters.
He said Siyad has been released from hospital and is not co-operating with police. They’ve released his photo to encourage witnesses to come forward.
Some witnesses have spoken to police, but Patterson said there was a number of people in the area at the time of the shooting and he is hoping they can help.
“There is somebody out there that can provide some insight as to why these shootings occurred and who is responsible,” he said.
“I’m encouraging them to step forward and speak to us.”
