Man shot dead in random attack in northwest Toronto remembered as 'angel on Earth'

A man who was gunned down in what police have called an indiscriminate attack in northwest Toronto was remembered Saturday as a quiet and respectful man who was working hard to support his family in Ghana.

Community members gathered at Jane Street and Driftwood Avenue for an afternoon vigil to honour Adu Boakye, 40, one of two people shot near that intersection in less than 24 hours last week. The other victim, a 16-year-old who was waiting for the bus to go to a volleyball game, was critically injured but survived.

Some who attended the vigil brought flowers, others wore shirts with his photo that read "In memory of Adu Boakye."

Richardson Adorsu, one of Boakye's friends, described him as a family man who loved children and could always be counted on for good advice.

Boakye was "a good man, an angel on Earth," Adorsu said. "There's so many discussions that I discussed with him, some advice that me, myself, I cannot advise myself."

He had arrived in Canada in November, and though they only spent a few months together, Adorsu said they were "really, really good" months.

Boakye was 'breadwinner' of family, says friend

Prince Kwadwo Tewiah, a member of the Ghanain Canadian Association of Ontario, was visiting Boakye's family to pay his respects.

"He is the breadwinner of the family….he came to seek a greener pasture so he could also get something for his family, now look what happened to him in Canada," Tewiah said in an interview with CBC News Saturday from Ghana.

Orwell Coffie said he and Boakye met because they worked together, and eventually started going to and from work together. Boakye's English wasn't strong, and Coffie said he would often translate conversations for him. "I was the first person he made friends with," he said.

He said Boakye was someone who never got angry. "Always, he was smiling and he was always quiet," he said.

Boakye, a father of four, would often video call his wife during their breaks and was focused on sending money back home, he said.

Online fundraiser surpasses $25k

Emmanuel Duodu, president of the Ghanaian-Canadian Association of Ontario, said he spoke to Boakye's mother earlier Saturday and found her "completely in shock and traumatized."

Aside from the pain of losing a loved one, Boakye's family has also been left without its breadwinner, raising concerns about who will provide them with support, he said.

An online fundraiser to help Boakye's family attend his funeral in Canada had raised more than $25,000 by Saturday afternoon. Coffie said the government should also step in to support Boakye's grieving family.

Police have said the attacks were carried out randomly by the same suspect or suspects. They said the victims didn't know each other or the suspect, nor were they involved in gang activity or anything similar.

The first attack took place around 6 p.m. on Feb. 16 and left the teen victim with potentially "life-altering" injuries, police said.

Boakye was shot the following afternoon. Investigators have said he was shot three times — twice in the stomach — and later died in hospital.

No arrests have been made, but police have released a photo of a suspect. Police said they are looking for a male around 18 to 25 years old, with a thin build. He was last seen wearing a black coat, a white hooded sweatshirt, black pants, black shoes, a black face covering and possibly a white surgical mask underneath. 

Police continue search for suspect

Officers have since ramped up their presence in the area of the incident as a result of the shootings. Police set up a command post last week, near Driftwood Community Recreation Centre, which remains in the area to provide onsite trauma counselling.

"We will leave no stone unturned," Spt. Andy Singh said at the vigil.

"We have committed all our resources not only to bring the offender to justice but to bring safety to this community."

Toronto mayor Olivia Chow was among those in attendance at the vigil.

"To the killers….you think you can strike fear in the heart of the community? Forget it," Chow said.

Police said Saturday they continue to search for evidence in Stoney Creek. A day earlier, officers searched on foot with metal detectors, by drone and with a watercraft. 

Investigators declined to say what they were looking for, but a black Acura RDX believed to be involved in the weekend shootings in Toronto was found abandoned in Hamilton.