Funeral planned for dad killed in Toronto bus stop attacks

Five months after Adu Boakye was shotand killed while walking by a bus stop at Jane Street and Driftwood Avenue, his wife, four sons and extended family have arrived in Toronto for his funeral.

"My father was good tohis family and his children, he'd always make sure that we went to school," said 18-year-old Dickson, who vows to take care of his mother and younger brothers now that his father is gone.

"My father was the breadwinner for the whole family, even his mother," he said.

Boakye planned to work in Toronto to support his family back home, and hadonly been working at his new job in a warehouse for three weeksat the time of the attack.

Boakye was one of two people shot near that intersection in less than 24 hours back in February.

The first attack took place around 6 p.m. on Feb. 16.A16-year-old, waiting for the bus to go to a volleyball game, was critically injured after being shot in the face. He survived.

Boakye, shot the following afternoon, did not.

Investigators said he was shot repeatedly,twice in the stomach.He died in hospital. Police still haven't made arrests in the case.

Dickson says he will be making a speech at his father's funeral, which is planned for Saturday.

"He was a good father to me, and I hope he rests in peace," he said.

Ghanaian community in Toronto calling for support

Felicia Botchway,with the Ghanaian-Canadian Association of Ontario, says it took months to bring Boakye'sfamily to Toronto, but the community was committed to supporting them.

"We're tight-knit, so we are usually there for each other," Botchway said.

"For him to come here, try to make a life for his family, and this tragedy happened to him, we couldn't let him be buried here without his children and wife seeing him for the last time."

A GoFundMe wasstarted earlier this year to help raise money for funeral costs and Boakye's children.

Botchwaysays the association helped the family find a place to stay, and they're currently looking for some longer-term accommodations.They're planning to work with all levels of government to keep the family in Toronto, she said.

"This is just an innocent person who came to the country, minding his own business and was shot," Botchwaysaid.

"These children are victims of circumstances beyond their control.They didn't ask for this, and we can't abandon them."

Investigation ongoing

In a statement, Toronto police said there are no new updates in relation to the case.

"The matter is still ongoing and naturally, we are still welcoming any new information or tips from the public," police said.

For a number of weeks after the shooting,a command post was set up near the Driftwood Community Recreation Centre by Toronto police, which provided onsite trauma counselling. It has since been taken down.

Back in February, police said the attacks were carried out randomly, by the same suspect or suspects. They said the victims didn't know each other or the suspect, nor were they involved in gang activity.

No arrests have been made, but police have released a photo of a suspect, and saidthey linked the attacks to a stolen black Acura found in Hamilton.

Police saythey are looking for a man, around 18 to 25 years old, with a thin build. Police say he was last seen wearing a black coat, a white hooded sweatshirt, black pants, black shoes, a black face covering and possibly a white surgical mask underneath.

"Whenever someone who commits a crime like that is at large, I think we all feel at risk," saidAnthony Perruzza,councillor for Humber River-Black Creek.

At the time of the attacks, community members, politicians and police went on a prayer walk to honour the victims, build connections and call for change. Perruzza says a number of community safety meetings also took place.

"There has been ongoing work prompted in part by these random violent acts," Perruzzasaid.

"It would make everyone feel a lot safer knowing that the individual who was capable of committing this kind of heinous crime is brought to justice."

Dickson said he will miss his father's laugh, playing with him, his love of soccer and the stories he told.

"If I needed something from him, he was always there," he said.