Grieving mother joins vigil for teen killed in Etobicoke shooting. ‘I need justice for Malik’ - Toronto Star

Dozens of friends, neighbours and family attended Thursday night’s vigil for 18-year-old Malik Abass who died after being shot Saturday.

Amina Abdellah, mother of 18-year-old Malik Abass, weeps as she sees a photo of her son at a memorial on Thursday evening. Abass was shot and killed in Etobicoke on Saturday.

Amina Abdellah sat in her living room, prayer beads in hand, mourning her 18-year-old son Malik Abass who loved to make jokes, sing and help with household chores.

A photo of Malik Abass, provided by his family. Abass, 18, died in hospital Saturday after he was shot.

Abass died Saturday in hospital after he was shot near Rathburn Road and The East Mall in Etobicoke shortly before 4:30 p.m.

Hours before attending a vigil Thursday evening for Abass, Abdellah, 46, rested her hands against her face and wiped away tears with her head scarf in the family’s Mississauga apartment. 

Abdellah’s three other children, Rabiatu, 9, Ramadan, 11, and Mahil, 21, wore black hoodies printed with a portrait of their brother. The hoodies read “Malik, you’re forever in our hearts,” and carry the Arabic phrase “To Allah we belong, and to Him we shall return.”

“I need justice for Malik,” said Abdellah. “Malik didn’t deserve this at all.”

Dozens of people attended the vigil for Abass, held in the narrow alley where the teen was shot. Family, friends and neighbours, dressed in warm jackets against the evening chill, held each other as they wept and prayed.

A small memorial for Malik Abass in the Etobicoke laneway where he was shot includes his photo surrounded by candles, flowers and small lights.

A photo of Abass was surrounded by candles, flowers and small lights. When his mother saw the framed photo, she fell to her knees weeping as other mourners consoled her.

A few teens, some who were friends with Abass, stood near the memorial with tears in their eyes. As people paid tribute to Abass, one young man tried to share his memories with the crowd, but was was overcome with emotion and retreated into a hug from a nearby friend.

What happened to Abass is senseless, said Evelyn Aidoo, a longtime family friend who the teen used to call his aunt.

“No one should die like an animal,” she said at the vigil, pointing toward a nearby wooden fence with bullet holes. “People should die of natural causes ... Someone should not take another person’s life.”

Nurudeen Hussain, president of the Zumunta African Muslims Association of Canada, said Abass’s death was “very tough to swallow.”

“We know him in the community,” Hussain, who attended the vigil, told the Star. “We see him: very vibrant guy, talks to everybody, jokes with everybody. To hear (about his death), it broke everybody.”

Officers arrived at the family’s home around 11 p.m. Saturday, Mahil said, but he first learned of his brother’s death from a call from an unknown number. He said a man whose voice he didn’t recognize told him, “Your brother got shot and he’s dead, and he loved you so much, and I’m so sorry to break it to you.”

Before that, he had seen news reports of the shooting. Worried, his multiple calls and texts to Abass went unanswered.

Speaking to reporters near the scene of the shooting on Saturday night, Toronto police Insp. Jeff Allington said investigators were looking for two male suspects wearing dark clothing who fled the area before officers arrived.

Mahil said his brother was meeting a female friend on Saturday. Around 1:30 p.m., Mahil had a “bad feeling” and called his brother.

“I wasn’t feeling OK, I felt something. I told him to come home, he said he was with friends, and he said he was blessed, that he was good,” he said.

Mahil, who has spoken with police, said investigators are still probing his brother’s homicide and have no other information about what happened. He added that Abass’s body remains in the morgue.

Mahil remembers his last conversation with his brother. They were worried about their safety after a 15-year-old Ghanaian immigrant was fatally shot on his way to school in New York City on Oct. 29.

“I remember him (Malik) saying, who’s going to be next? Because our grandmother had also died recently,” Mahil said.

The family moved to Toronto from Hamilton about five months ago after arriving from Accra, Ghana four years ago.

A Grade 12 student at Silverthorn Collegiate Institute in Etobicoke, Abass dreamed of becoming a lawyer and wanted to work in construction to pay for his studies, said Mahil.

Abass’s mother said her son would clean the family’s apartment, including his siblings’ rooms, and did the dishes while singing. He always offered to walk his mom to the grocery store and back to help carry the heavy bags.

A photo of Malik Abass, 18, provided by his family. Abass died after being shot Saturday in Etobicoke.

Abdellah remembers him always making jokes, singing rap songs, and trying to cheer her up if she looked upset. 

Standing in Abass’s bedroom, Mahil pointed to a row of sneakers his brother loved, especially Jordans. Mahil, wearing a pair of sweatpants from his brother, said the two loved sharing clothes.

“I might wear one of these (sneakers) tonight,” he said before attending his brother’s vigil.

Mahil said he’s going to miss how his brother led prayers and took care of his mother and the house. His siblings Rabiatu and Ramadan said they will miss his sense of humour.

“He was very funny, jovial and loved to make us laugh,” said Mahil. “He was always playing with my mom, tickling her.”

Beatriz Baleeiro is a staff reporter with the Toronto Star. Reach her via email: bbaleeiro@torstar.ca

Iman Janmohamed is a staff reporter with the Toronto Star. Reach her at ijanmohamed@thestar.ca.