Many communities are mourning and living in fear after the recent back-to-back shootings in northwest Toronto, with those connected to the victims still trying to come to terms with the death of their loved ones.
40-year-old Adu Boakye arrived in November from Ghana. He had just started his new life in Canada but was shot and killed recently while walking by a bus stop in the area of Jane Street and Driftwood Avenue.
Ghanaian community in the Greater Toronto Area has organized a vigil exactly one week after his death. The vigil will take place on February 24 at 1 p.m. by the bus stop. Organizers of the vigil are asking people to come to the vigil with flowers and say everyone is welcome.
While talking to CTV News Toronto, a very close friend of Boakye, Richardson Adorsu, described him as a jovial father of four children between the ages of two and 17. Adorsu said he has created a GoFundMe account to help pay for Boakye’s funeral and help support his wife and kids back home.
He said: “Adu was the primary provider for his family. This devastating situation is a big loss for a family who is so far [away] and cannot be here to see Adu for the last time.”
On the GoFundMe page, he wrote: “As a community we are raising funds to support a family who has lost their father their husband their son a brother and friend.
“Adu Boakye came to Canada seeking a better life for himself and family. Adu was shot while standing at the bus stop at Jane and Driftwood while waiting for the bus to go and send money to his wife back home in Ghana.
“A gunman walked up to him and shot him 2 times in his stomach and as he tried to run he fell and he was again shot in his face. Adu was the primary provider for his family with 4 children and also his elderly parents. This devastating situation is a big loss for a family who is so far and cannot be here to see Adu for the last time.
“We are pleading with the community at large to help raise funds to help the family with funeral cost and also for his wife and children to be able to see him one last time. We thank you in advance for your thoughtful support.
Emmanuel Duodu, President of the Ghanaian-Canadian Association of Ontario, said the Ghanaian community is “traumatized and very concerned.”
Duodu said: “He was somebody who was really excited about this country. We can only fathom a wife, a mother, a father being called to be told that your son, or your husband, or your father, who came to Canada has been shot by somebody randomly. That, to me, is heartbreaking.”
