Somalian community alarmed by shooting

Somalian-Canadians in Edmonton are alarmed at the shooting of a man from their community in broad daylight Sunday.

Police responded to reports of gunshots in the area of 106th Avenue and 105th Street. When they arrived, they found the body of a man in the driver's seat of a car parked in an alley.

Police have not confirmed the victim's background, but community leaders say he was of Somalian descent, the second man from the community to be shot dead in the last month. 

An autopsy has been scheduled for Tuesday morning.

As police officers combed the crime scene, about a dozen Somalian men gathered to express their disbelief.

"In the middle of the day," said Ibrhim Keinin. "It's not even New York or Los Angeles. It doesn't happen, such like these things."

On Nov. 12, the body of Abdulaziz Osman Isse, 21, was found behind a west Edmonton synagogue.

Four young Somalian men were killed in a series of killings in late summer and fall of 2008. The latest slayings have prompted fears among the Edmonton community that another wave may be underway.

"It's sad, it's painful and it's unacceptable to the community," said Jaamac Jamaac, the host of an Edmonton radio show about the Somalian-Canadian community.

"We've been here for a short time, and it seems that these things keep happening and is going to happen again and again, and at the same time nobody is worrying about it except the community, who cannot do anything."

Edmonton Mayor Stephen Mandel says the city is committed to working with the Somalian community.

"We've met with the community, the chief of police has met with the community," Mandel said.

"But things don't happen overnight, and it's unfortunate when young people — and I don't know this particular circumstance — but get involved in the wrong group of people and things happen that none of us like to see happen."

Community leaders are calling on the city to invest in programs and organizations that help keep their youth away from crime and violence.