Saskatoon's ninth homicide victim being remembered as kind-hearted soul

Family members and friends have identified the victim of Saskatoon's ninth homicide of 2020 as Logan Nayneecassum and he's being remembered as a kind-hearted man who could always make you laugh.

The 30-year-old man was allegedly shot outside of Aria Food and Spirits earlier this week and Saskatoon Police Service say he died as a result of a gunshot wound.

The death has left the family and friends ofNayneecassum heartbroken.

"We're just taking things really hard," a family member, who didn't want to be named, told CBC on Sunday.

What exactly resulted in Nayneecassum'sshootinghas yet to be determined, but Saskatoon police say it occurred as Aria Food and Spirits prepared to close for the evening and people left the restaurant.

At that time, patrons of the establishment became engaged in an altercation with one another and Nayneecassum was shot as a result. He was taken to hospital but died from his injuries.

Police have not confirmedNayneecassum as the victim of the shooting.

People who knew Nayneecassum, who was from the Ahtahkakoop First Nation, saidhe'sgoing to be missed dearly. Shawn Peekeekoot said while he didn't know Nayneecassum well, he said he was a "likeable person" who was friendly with everyone.

"He had a great sense of humour and always knew how to make you laugh," he said in a message on social media. "He had one of the most warming smiles and would light up the room when he was around."

CBC Saskatoon requested an interview with the owner of Aria Food and Spirits for this story, but a response was not received. Managers and staff also declined to answer questions.

The day after the shooting, police tape covered much of Aria's parking lot, with evidence cards scattered throughout the area.

An eyewitness told CTV Saskatoon that he heard screams and what he believed to be gunshots on the night of the shooting, saying there were crowds outside of the restaurant at the time.

Neighbours described the Lakewood Suburban Centre, where the restaurant is located, as a typically quiet area, but one person told CBC previously they had witnessed a person with a gun in his waistband at the intersection adjacent to the restaurant roughly two weeks earlier.

CBC Saskatoon posed several questions to city police about the shooting and who was present at the restaurant before the incident, but Alyson Edwards, director of public affairs said police could not answer any of the questions.

No one has been charged in connection to Nayneecassum's death, but Saskatoon police have interviewed several people and are asking for members of the public who were present at the time of the shooting to come forward.

"Investigators with the Major Crime Section have spoken to numerous persons who were in attendance at the restaurant / pub at the time of the incident but it is clear that at the time of the shooting numerous people fled the scene and as a result have not been spoken to by police," Saskatoon police said in a news release.

Nayneecassum's death is the city's ninth homicide of 2020 and anyone with informationis asked to contact Saskatoon police Major Crimes or Crime Stoppers to report the information anonymously.