MANHUNT IN CLUB SLAYING
‘Armed, dangerous’ suspect sought after man shot multiple times
Police are searching for a suspect after a husband and father was shot multiple times early Sunday at the Sentral nightclub. Mustafa Ahmed is wanted for second-degree murder in the killing of Omar Rashid-Ghader, an original member of Ottawa’s most notorious street gang.
Police are hunting for an “armed and dangerous” suspect after the brazen weekend killing of one of the original members of this city’s most notorious street gang.
Mustafa Ahmed, 28, is wanted for second-degree murder in the killing of Omar Rashid-Ghader, 33, who was shot multiple times inside a ByWard Market nightclub in the early hours of Sunday morning.
Ahmed, who police said is considered armed and dangerous, is a known associate of the victim.
Rashid- Ghader was at the Sentral nightclub, where Brooklyn hip-hop artist Maino was scheduled to perform.
Around 3:20 a.m. Sunday, someone shot Rashid-Ghader, sending patrons in the club scattering. One of them found a police patrol officer nearby outside.
Police tried to resuscitate the victim before paramedics arrived and requested a defibrillator, but he was pronounced dead at the scene, said Duty Insp. Sean McDade.
It was the only deadly incident in a spate of four shootings around the city Sunday.
An original member of the southend Ledbury-Banff Crips, RashidGhader was well-known to police. Known as “Esco” — short for “Escobar” — Rashid- Ghader had multiple run-ins with the law, dating back at least to 2003.
He was also an aspiring rapper and hip hop star, with several videos posted on YouTube over the years.
He leaves behind a wife and young children.
The weekend shooting left friends of the victim reeling. One longtime friend said Sunday she had been out at the club as well, but had left early to get home to her children.
Before she went, Muna said, she had wanted to have one last word with Rashid-Ghader, but couldn’t catch his attention, so left without saying goodbye. A short time later, he was dead. “I was there, I was with him — he can’t be dead,” said Muna, who, fearing for her safety, asked that her last name not be used.
“This is so unfair. I’m still registering,” she said. “They need to put guns in control — they need to do something.”
Several of Rashid-Ghader’s friends, who had received word he had been shot during the night and had rushed to hospitals and then to the police station for news, were visibly upset in the street outside the club on Sunday morning.
“He’s a good person, he’s funny,” Muna said.
Dalhousie Street was blocked off through much of Sunday, as forensic investigators processed “the complicated scene.”
A man who said he works at Sentral but who did not want to be identified said the club’s policy is to pat down all guests when they enter, as security measure. There is no metal detector.
The employee also said the club has a lot of cameras that likely would have captured the incident.
Basil Radwan, 24, was waiting to go to work near the crime scene Sunday morning. He said he doesn’t really come downtown anymore because of the increase in violence.
“Every day it’s getting worse,” he said, adding that people are bringing violence from their neighbourhoods to the core.
But many local business owners insisted the shooting does not reflect the safety in the Market as a whole.
This is the city’s 11th homicide of the year.