Edmonton Somali community mourns man

Edmonton's Somali community is mourning after a 23-year-old man was shot and killed at a north downtown bar early Saturday morning.

Police say the man was found dead in the lobby of a lounge near 111 Street and 107 Avenue. A second man, 26, was also shot and is in hospital in serious condition.

No charges have been laid.

The man who was killed was known to his family as "Ayub."Mahamad Accord, president of the Alberta Somali Community, said he was well-known within the community.

Accord, who knows the victim's family, said the man's wife is expecting a baby.

"It's very, very horrible. Losing a kid is a horrible thing but at the same time when you have a familyI mean, imagine the child who will never know his father. It's a tragedy. And also you have a mother who is under stress, I mean, it's very challenging."

Accord said the family is very distraught at the loss.

He said the victim was a "typical Canadian young man" and was known as an all-around nice guy. However, Accord said the man's death is not surprising.

"I was shocked but not surprised," he said.

"Shocked because we were trying to put behind these years of youths dying in the community and we thought that that was the end of it, but not surprised because the situation that we've been dealing with the last five years haven't changed.

"[There's been no] movement from government side or the police side. The community was trying very hard to do everything in their power but it's very limited what the community can do without the government's help."

More than 30 young Somali-Canadian men have been killed in Alberta since 2005.

Many of the deaths are part of a disturbing pattern that sees men who move from Ontario to Alberta killed amid an escalating gang and drug turf war.

The majority of the homicides have not been solved.

Accord said the community is fed up and demanding answers.

"It's a mixed feeling. One, you are mourning the loss [but] at the same time realizing that there won't be any closure to this case, like the other ones," he said.

"What I heard from the community is they are really frustrated and I think they need answers."