Police have laid a murder charge against a Toronto man in connection with the shooting that killed an 18-year-old aspiring doctor.
Heavily-armed emergency task force officers arrested the suspect before dawn on Sunday morning at his Amaranth Court home, northwest of Allen Road and Lawrence Avenue in the Lawrence Heights neighbourhood.
The suspect's residence was just a short walk from the place where Abdikarim Ahmed Abdikarim was killed and where the five others with whom he was sitting were shot.
Abdikarim was shot in the head on March 14 and later died in hospital. He had been socializing with five friends at the group's regular hang-out spot when two men approached, one firing multiple shots at the group.
The men who were with Abdikarim were all hospitalized for their injuries.
The assailants, who fled the scene separately, were recorded on security footage later released to the public in an attempt to seek clues. According to Toronto Police, several witnesses responded to the footage and provided additional information.
The tape shows two men walking in close proximity along a footpath near the crime scene. They are not seen speaking to each other. Police say the gunman got the group's attention before shooting.
"His actions are very discriminate and it's obvious that he intended to inflict maximum damage," Det. Sgt. Brian Borg, of the Toronto police homicide squad, said at a March 17 news conference.
Witnesses told police they saw a silver or grey car leaving a nearby parking lot at high speeds.
On Sunday at 5:30 a.m., 25-year-old Wendell Damian Cuff was arrested, led in handcuffs from his home into a waiting police car. He was charged with one count of first-degree murder and five counts of attempted murder and is scheduled for a Monday court appearance.
A warrant was also issued for a second suspect. Torontonian Owen Anthony Smith, also 25, is wanted on the same charges as Cuff.
