Victim was loved by community, says family
Edmonton’s latest homicide victim — fatally shot in northeast Edmonton last weekend — is being remembered by his family as a protector of those he cared for, including now-grown kids from his community.
Samer Farzat Chehimi, 34, was killed June 13 in an overnight shooting at his apartment in northeast Edmonton.
His sister Abby Chehimi said she and her family knew something was very wrong that day when he did not answer his phone.
“They started to search and look and he wouldn’t answer his phone,” Abby Chehimi said, adding the family is not happy with police who did not reach out to them when their loved one was found shot. “Samer always answered his phone, he always answered his phone when his family called him. He never ever never, never, never missed our calls.”
After spending hours searching hospitals for their loved one, Abby Chehimi said a city police investigator finally brought them into a quiet room at the Royal Alexandra Hospital and confirmed Samer Chehimi had been gunned down at his home. He was found wounded in his apartment, with his beloved dog Brownie circling his body.
Samer Chehimi’s mid-week funeral drew roughly 400 mourners, a testament to the impact he had on his community, said Abby Chehimi.
“We’ve had kids from the community who are older now come up and tell us Samer kept them safe,” she said. “He wouldn’t ever let anyone get hurt in front of himself.”
Court documents show Chehimi served a 60-day sentence in January 2017 for firearm charges, and in March of that year he served a 30-day sentence for possessing a controlled substance.
Those documents show he also served a 40-month sentence for assault with a weapon in 2011.
“He had some charges here and there, but ... a lot of people have demons in their closets, but it’s not on Google,” Abby Chehimi said. “It was such a long time ago and his selflessness is also what got him into trouble most of the time. Every time there is a problem, ‘Let’s get Samer, Samer will help us’. It dug him into problems.”
On June 16, homicide detectives asked anyone who may have dashcam footage from the area of the shooting to contact police. They are looking for anything recorded between 8 p.m. on June 12 to 1:30 a.m. on June 13. The shooting occurred at about 12:30 a.m. on June 13.
“We have information that the vehicle and suspect(s) may have been circulating between 167 Avenue, Manning Drive and Brintnell Boulevard,” says Det. Jared Buhler said in a statement. “We are specifically interested in any dashcam video from Brintnell Boulevard, 167 Avenue and 55 Street.”