Oshawa homicide victim was killed within minutes of leaving nearby mosque, police say

Police are investigating after a man died after being found with signs of trauma near Simcoe St. and McGrigor St. in Oshawa,

Police say an 80-year-old man was killed moments after leaving a nearby mosque in Oshawa on Thursday afternoon.

The victim, identified as Ibrahim Bala, was located on a residential property near Simcoe Street South and McGrigor Street following an unknown trouble call at around 2:40 p.m.

He was pronounced dead on the scene a short time later.

At a news conference on Friday afternoon, Const. Nick Gluckstein said that investigators believe Bala left the Islamic Centre of Oshawa next door at around 2:30 p.m. and was killed sometime prior to 2:40 p.m.

A cause of death has not been released, and police have only described Bala’s injuries as “traumatic.”

“We have instituted a higher police presence specifically in that area and will continue to have a higher police presence in that area as investigators build a timeline and determine exactly what happened in this tragic incident,” Gluckstein said.

Gluckstein said that police have been in touch with the community and faith leaders in the wake of the homicide and that they are cooperating with the investigation.

He said that while it is too early to speculate on the motive for the homicide, investigators will consider “all factors,” including the possibility that it was hate-motivated.

“All of our units, including the hate crime unit, have been consulted and they will be involved in the investigation,” he said. “He (Bala) was a beloved member of the community. A father, a husband, he will definitely be missed, and we grieve with his family. Everybody we have spoken to has said nothing but amazing thing about this individual and he was well known, especially at the Islamic centre.”

The Islamic Centre of Oshawa previously confirmed that Bala was a member of its mosque community.

In a statement released on Thursday, it described Bala as a “dear” member of its community.

“Today, a very dear community brother lost his life around the premises of the masjid. At this point, the police are continuing to investigate this murder,” the statement notes. “We encourage the community not to speculate at this point as to the motivations of the attackers. We are in close contact with the police and all appropriate authorities, and we understand that they are investigating all avenues.”

The National Council of Canadian Muslims also released a statement about the homicide on Friday, describing Bala as a “prominent Muslim community member.”

The group said that its encouraging community members “to refrain from any speculations until investigators have concluded more facts related to what happened.”