Homicide victim's mother pleads with witnesses to come forward

The mother of an Ottawa man slain outside a downtown nightclub three years ago is pleading with witnesses to her son's homicide to come forward and tell police what they know.

Ottawa police released images Wednesday of three womenwho they say may have information about the 2017 killing of Ashton Dickson.

Dickson, 25, was a celebrated football star who played running back at St. Patrick's High School in Ottawa, then St. Francis Xavier University in Nova Scotia. He was shot to death outside a nightclub at 470 Rideau St. in the early hours of June 26, 2017, when an argument spilled out onto the street.

If you don't say something, you're just as guilty as the person who did that crime.- Donna Dickson

On Wednesday, police released surveillance images of three potential witnesses.

"This remains an active investigation and Ashton's family is counting on our community to do right by him," said Staff Sgt. Bruce Pirt of the homicide unit in a news release.

"We ask these individuals to come forward and provide us with information about what they know about that night."

Mother asks witnesses to step forward

Donna Dicksonpleaded with the women in the photos to speak to police about what they may know about her son's death.

"It's been three years. Weas a familyunderstand they may be scared ... but they do need to talk to the police because the police can offer them help," Dickson told CBC.

"I don't know how they sleep at night, because I can't sleep."

Dickson said she wants to be able to one day tell Ashton'sdaughter,Alianna,exactly what happened to her father so that she can have closure. She said she doesn't know what's driving the intense secrecy around the case.

"Are these guys that dangerous that everybody's scared of them?" Dickson said. "If you don't say something, you're just as guilty as the person who did that crime."

Ottawa police are offering $75,000 for information leading to the arrest of Dickson's killer. Anyone with information about the identity of any of the three female witnesses, or seven male witnesses reported previously, is asked to contact Ottawa police at 613-236-1222, ext. 5493.

Anonymous tips can be made to Crime Stoppers.

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