Toronto rapper Top5 releases music video from jail while awaiting murder trial
Ontario's Solicitor General is trying to figure out how a man awaiting trail on a first-degree murder charge was able to record part of a music video inside his jail cell.
In a clip posted to Instagram this week, Toronto rapper Top5, appears in an orange jumpsuit in a cinderblock room.
- Download our app to get local alerts on your device
- Get the latest local updates right to your inbox
"I was 18 when I bought a gun, 22 when I shot your son," he says looking into the camera.
The artist, whose real name is Hassan Ali is behind bars, charged in the Jan. 2021 shooting death of Hashim Omar Hashi, a student who police say had no connections to the criminal world.
According to documents unsealed in an American extradition hearing back in 2021, Ali is a member of the “Go Getem Gang,” a criminal group that organized the botched hit trying to target his brother's killer which he shouts out several times in the music video.
Hashi was mistaken for the person the shooters believed was the killer of Ali’s brother, Said Ali, known as “Foolish”, in 2017, the court filing says.
In a statement to CTV News Toronto, Hunter Kell, a spokesperson for the Solicitor General writes:
"The ministry is aware of an unacceptable incident involving a video posted online that appears to contain images of secure areas of the Maplehurst Correctional Complex. Unauthorized photography of any kind is strictly prohibited inside provincial correctional facilities.
“The ministry has launched a full investigation into this incident and appropriate action will be taken."
Former Toronto homicide detective Mark Mendelson says contraband cellphones aren't uncommon behind bars, but the behaviour shown here is extraordinary.
"I can't think of a particular time where somebody's actually gone out of their way in custody to film a video and then have the audacity to publish it," Mendelson says.
He explains that the fact that Ali is being held in a provincial prison presents possible avenues for a phone to slip through checks.
"In the provincial jails, there are scores of prisoners going in and out every day. They're getting bail, or they're going to court and they're coming back to the facility so there's lots of prisoner transport," Mendelson says.
He adds contraband items can also be smuggled in by visitors, lawyers, staff, even dropped over a fence by drone.
This is not the first time Ali's online activity has got him into trouble.
He was initially charged with accessory to murder in Hashi's death. When he charge was upgraded, Ali allegedly cut off his GPS tracking bracelet and took off to California.
The Los Angeles Police Department says they were able to track him down, based on social media posts.
The year before, he was charged with mischief for allegedly bringing traffic on Highway 401 to a standstill to shoot a music video.
With files from Jon Woodward
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Ontario to ban use of cellphones in school classrooms starting in September
Ontario is introducing a suite of measures that will crack down on cellphone use and vaping in schools.
BREAKING Quebec to invest $603 million to protect the French language
Quebec will invest $603 million over five years to counter the decline of French in the province, French Language Minister Jean-Francois Roberge announced Sunday.
'Do not consume': Gift Chocolate recalled due to undeclared milk, soy
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has issued a recall for a specific chocolate brand sold in Ontario and Quebec.
Kitchener family says their 10-year-old needs life-saving drug that cost $600,000
Raneem, 10, lives with a neurological condition and liver disease and needs Cholbam, a medication, for a longer and healthier life.
Invasive and toxic hammerhead worms make themselves at home in Ontario
Ontario is now home to an invasive and toxic worm species that can grow up to three feet long and can be dangerous to small animals and pets.
Murder charge laid after man falls to death from Toronto apartment balcony
One person has been charged with second-degree murder in connection with the death of a man who fell from a balcony following an altercation inside a Toronto apartment building.
Dozens in Italy give a fascist salute on the anniversary of Mussolini's execution
Dozens of people raised their arms in the fascist salute and shouted a fascist chant during ceremonies Sunday to honor Italian dictator Benito Mussolini on the 79th anniversary of his execution.
Zendaya tennis movie ‘Challengers’ scores at weekend box office
Zendaya and castmates Mike Faist and Josh O’Connor have been on a globetrotting press tour to get the word out about Italian director Luca Guadagnino's original film, which opened in 3,477 locations in the U.S. and Canada.
Nicole Kidman, who 'makes movies better,' gets AFI Life Achievement Award
Morgan Freeman spoke the words, but pretty much everyone who took the stage at the presentation of the AFI Life Achievement Award agreed: "Nicole Kidman. She makes movies better."