Thursday, April 30, 2009
Mohamed Farah Khalif, 20, had by all reports obtained his goal, but something went wrong and he has become Edmonton's 10th homicide victim for this year.
"He absolutely went after the Canadian dream," said family friend Liban Abdi yesterday, about Khalif's move to western Canada. "It's where opportunities are. It's sad.
"Sometimes youths end up in misfortunes. We are deeply saddened."
Khalif, who came to Hamilton in 2004 from a Kenyan refugee camp, was found dead in an Edmonton park at about 5:30 a.m. Sunday. Two men, age 22 and 36, have been arrested in connection with the killing and face a total of 23 charges, including first-degree murder, two counts of kidnapping and two counts of robbery.
Khalif came to Canada with his mother, who is in her late 40s, and two brothers, now 17 and 23. Abdi said the mother, whom he declined to identify, cannot fathom the loss of her middle son, especially after the family fled war-torn Somalia for a better and safer life.
"She's completely devastated," said Abdi, a program manager at Settlement and Integration Services Organization.
"She's heartbroken and grieving very bad. It's very disheartening."
Khalif's funeral will be in Edmonton and Abdi said his mother was leaving this morning for the Albertan capital.
Dean Parthenis, a spokesperson for the Edmonton Police, said a civilian alerted police to the body in the park Sunday morning. An autopsy was done yesterday at the Office of the Edmonton Medical Examiner, but results were not available as of last night.
It is alleged Khalif and another man were kidnapped by the two accused shortly before Khalif's body was found in Hermitage Park, on the northeast side of the city.
Investigators will not say what the motive was, but Parthenis noted that it was not drugs or gang related. He said the two accused and Khalif knew each other, but he could not elaborate.