City symposium on gang violence underway
Major crimes investigators continue to probe gang-related shooting death of Levy Kasende
CBC News
Posted: Oct 18, 2012 7:22 AM ET
Last Updated: Oct 18, 2012 2:40 PM ET
A city symposium on gang-related violence got underway at City Hall on Wednesday evening to address this year's spike in gang shootings.
"This is not just a police issue. … Alone, we cannot do it," said Coun. Eli El-Chantiry, chair of the Ottawa Police Services Board, during Wednesday night's symposium.
"We do live in a safe city. But the issue of gangs and the crime and violence associated with it is a trend that we must pay attention to, and address this head on," said police Chief Charles Bordeleau.
"All of us in this room have a part to play in ensuring more of our city's youth are steered away from this deadly lifestyle," Bordeleau said.
Gang symposium continues Thursday
Sarah Labib said Levy Kasende was known to stick up for people. (CBC)The symposium continues Thursday.
Meanwhile, major crimes investigators continue to look into the August gang-related shooting death of 22-year-old Levy Kasende.
Police sources told CBC News the motive for the shooting stemmed from another shooting on July 1, 2010.
The sources said that on the corner of Rideau and Nelson streets, Kasende got into an argument with a known gang member and drug dealer, and that Kasende shot him three times in the arm and shoulder.
On Aug. 25 this year just before 1 a.m., Kasende was shot multiple times in the back in a drive-by shooting in Blackburn Hamlet.
Family and friends said Kasende was never a gang member, but grew up surrounded by gang violence.
Sarah Labib, the mother of Kasende's young child, said Kasende was known to stand up for his friends.
No arrests made, police looking for suspects
Ottawa police Insp. John Maxwell said he doesn't want Ottawa's streets to be dominated by gang activity. (CBC)"He always felt like he had to protect everyone. Always felt like, if you weren't going to speak up for yourself, then I'm going to speak up for you," Labib said.
Police sources believe they're looking for at least two, and possibly three suspects: A driver, a shooter, and a suspect who drove a getaway car after a Mazda MPV van they were driving was torched less than an hour after the shooting.
Police haven't made any arrests.
"Somebody's dead, somebody's passed away, they were murdered, there could have been a lot of others," said Insp. John Maxwell. "I don't want Ottawa to become a city where gangs rule the streets."
Share Tools
Latest Ottawa News Headlines
- Toronto mayor's brother says he never dealt drugs
- The brother of Toronto Mayor Rob Ford has vehemently denied allegations in Saturday's Globe and Mail that he was involved in the illicit drug trade in the 1980s. more »
- Feds look to snag corporate sponsors for Ottawa events
- McDonald's golden arches on Parliament Hill? Tim Hortons billboards at the Governor General's residence? Nothing quite so crass is in the works, but a cash-strapped federal agency is actively looking for corporate sponsors to fill gaping holes in its budget. more »
- PM's credibility at stake in growing Senate expenses crisis
- With the prime minister's credibility at stake in a growing political crisis, has Stephen Harper done enough to explain his former chief of staff's $90,000 cheque to Senator Mike Duffy? Listen to CBC Radio's The House with Evan Solomon here. more »
- Audit of city's Orgaworld contract not expected until fall
- A long-awaited audit of the controversial deal between the City of Ottawa and Orgaworld won't be released until an ongoing commercial arbitration process ends, likely in the fall. more »
Must Watch
Top News Headlines
- Toronto mayor's brother says he never dealt drugs
- The brother of Toronto Mayor Rob Ford has vehemently denied allegations in Saturday's Globe and Mail that he was involved in the illicit drug trade in the 1980s. more »
- Hockey Canada votes to ban bodychecking in peewee hockey
- Hockey Canada's board of directors voted to eliminate bodychecking from peewee-level hockey on Saturday in Charlottetown. more »
- Neil Macdonald: How serious is Obama about curbing the drone surge?
- In a key speech this week, the U.S. president set out a host of supposed new safeguards for America's controversial practice of remote-controlled rough justice. But as Neil Macdonald writes, the underlying rationale for drone use has not fundamentally changed. more »
- Ontario man lost in Australian mountains has survival skills
- The sister of an Ontario man who disappeared in Australia's Snowy Mountains nearly two weeks ago says she remains hopeful he will be found, partly because of his training as a Canadian Forces reservist. more »
Most Viewed/Commented
- Fire destroys 100-year-old barn near Kemptville, Ont.
- Toronto mayor's brother says he never dealt drugs
- Ottawa Race Weekend road closures
- Ottawa Senators thank fans after pesky season
- Senators' unlikely playoff run ends in Game 5 disappointment
- Train travel back to normal after fatal crash in eastern Ontario
- Canada Post tells residents that junk mail is useful
- Ottawa residents use green bins more, landfills less
- RCMP responds to female Mountie's sex abuse lawsuit
