A small group of people came together late Thursday afternoon in a laneway behind an Etobicoke townhouse complex to mourn the life of Malik Abass, the 18-year-old man who was gunned down over the weekend. Abass, known to many as Prince, died in hospital on Saturday after being shot near The East Mall and Rathburn Road. Toronto police said they were called to that area at around 4:30 p.m. for reports of a shooting. Officers arrived and found a male suffering from a gunshot wound. Life-saving measures were performed, and Abass was rushed to the hospital where he was pronounced dead. His death is Toronto’s 33rd homicide of 2026. Investigators say the suspect(s) fled the area before police arrival. The Zumunta African Muslims Association of Canada organized the small candlelight vigil for Abass. “We are here to continue crying about the loss of our son. He was only 18 years old. (He) came to Canada less than four years for a better life,” said Nurudeen Hussain of the Zumunta African Muslims Association of Canada. “(This young man’s) mother came with four children, and he is the second one. He’s only 18. He (didn’t) deserve this kind of shooting.” Community organizer Evelyn says officials have not been in touch to assist the family, adding they should not be going through such a tragedy alone. “In January and February, it will be four years since they came to Canada. They’ve only moved to Mississauga five months ago. She lost her son,” she said. Abass’ 11-year-old brother Ramadan added that gun violence needs to stop, saying he’d like to see more police officers on patrol to keep the community safe. “Sometimes people are stabbing each other and killing each other, like the way my brother was killed behind this place. I would like to say to the other people that I want justice for my brother,” he told CP24 late Thursday afternoon. Hussain agreed, saying that the community is seeking justice for Abass, who is originally from Ghana, and wants to see those responsible for taking his life held accountable for their actions. “How can we get those people who do that to face justice? We are asking the government, we are asking the authorities to do what they can so that this kind of violence will end once and for all.” Hussain went on to say that gun violence affects everyone across the country. He added that laws need to be changed to ensure those convicted of serious crimes are punished accordingly. He said the “whole Ghanian community of Toronto” is distraught by this senseless act of violence and is urging everyone to “take it easy” and “be very careful.” “This is a big loss that we think is going to take us a long time to heal, a very long time to heal, because nobody deserved to die about 20 bullets at one time, making sure that you take away the life. Nobody deserved that,” the community leader said. Toronto police told CP24 on Thursday that they have no updates in the case at this time. This investigation is ongoing, and anyone with further information is asked to contact Toronto police. With files from CTV News Toronto’s Jermaine Wilson and CP24’s Bryann Aguilar
