Latest news with #memorial
CBC
7 hours ago
- CBC
These graduates lost their friend to gun violence. Now they're making sure he's never forgotten
A Toronto teen whose life was cut short by gun violence was remembered in a valedictorian speech at the school where he should have graduated on Thursday. Mohamed Doumbouya, who died at the age of 16, would have been in Grade 12 this year. But instead of marking a milestone at his Parkdale high school this week, he was gunned down inside an apartment unit in the area of King Street W. and Jameson Avenue on July 8, 2024. Two teen boys, 16 and 17 at the time, have been arrested and charged with second-degree murder in his death. Since his death, Mohamed's friends have dedicated themselves to advocating against gun violence and honouring his memory. "Mohamed was more than a friend," said Grade 12 student Brian Ehigiator in his valedictorian speech at Parkdale Collegiate Institute on Thursday. Ehigiator said he'd known Mohamed since childhood. "He was a bright, kind and playful presence who left a lasting mark on everyone who knew him. This school year has been really difficult without being able to see him in the halls... There's been an emptiness, a silence where laughter used to be. "But even though he is not physically here, his presence is still felt in every corner of this building." Ehigiator said Mohamed's friends have made sure that "his story, his life continues to matter." Students organize to honour Mohamed's memory In an interview with CBC Radio's Metro Morning, Ehigiator said of his friend: "He really knew how to lighten a room. Even during serious situations, he was always funny, which I guess I loved about him the most." Tania Camuti, principal of the school, said that after Mohamed's death, a group of 14 students applied for funding from the city's Community Crisis Response Program through its fund for youth initiatives in order to honour him. The fund provides one-time financial assistance to support communities affected by traumatic incidents and community violence. Camuti said the students put together a number of initiatives using the funding. They organized a group called Project MD that does anti-gun violence advocacy at the school. They also organized a play day for his elementary school in Parkdale, Dr Rita Cox — Kina Minagok Public School. And they organized to have the field at the school renamed in his honour. They also arranged for a plaque and rock on the field dedicated to Mohamed, facing the apartment building where he lived. On top of that, they put together a display case, commissioned art and brought a guest speaker to the school to talk to students about youth and gun violence. "What I've seen is a group of Grade 12s come together in tragedy to ensure that Mohamed's memory is not how he died but who he was," Camuti said. Camuti said she heard about the shooting death on the news, had a gut feeling and wondered: "'Was that one of ours?' And unfortunately, about a day later it was confirmed that that was a Parkdale student." 'A person who lit up the room' Cole Leason, a Grade 12 student, said Mohammed could make a person smile if they were having a bad day. "He was a close friend to all of us. He was really just a person who lit up the room. He was the life of the party," he said. "He was really a big part of our group and just a big part of what it meant to be at Parkdale. Losing him was a big loss." 2 teens charged in fatal shooting of teen in Parkdale Police ID boy, 16, shot dead in Parkdale apartment Leason said the students wanted to not only to honour Mohamed but also to push back against gun violence. "We want to show that this tragedy doesn't represent who Parkdale is, who Mohamed was, what his life meant and what it was on track for. It's really to show that our community won't let violence take control and have a shackle on us." Ethan Rebelo, another Grade 12 student, also called Mohamed a friend. "Within our friend group, he was like our core of our friend group and really made everybody, just in the school that knew him, very happy. He was a very genuine guy." For Ehigiator, his friend's death has taught him an important lesson.
The Guardian
9 hours ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
Killed ex-Minnesota lawmaker Melissa Hortman lies in state alongside husband and dog
Melissa and Mark Hortman, and their dog Gilbert, lay in state in the Minnesota state capitol rotunda on Friday. Their wooden caskets, and Gilbert's golden urn with pawprints on it, were surrounded by trees and ferns, a nod to the greenery Melissa, an avid gardener and advocate for the environment, held dear in her personal life and in her governance. The Hortmans were killed by a politically motivated assassin who posed as a police officer and came to their home, and the homes of other lawmakers, injuring another and his wife. The killings and subsequent manhunt unsettled the state. On Friday, Minnesotans lined up by the hundreds outside and inside the state capitol to pay their respects. One by one, they moved toward the rotunda. Many wiped away tears. Others did the sign of the cross. Some put their hands on their hearts. The mourners included former president Joe Biden. Some brought their children, waiting in line patiently to say goodbye. Many carried flowers – daffodils, daisies, zinnias, roses. Golden retrievers sat outside the doors of the capitol, waiting people to pet them and to comfort those who came to grieve. A second line waited to drop off flowers and other items of remembrance at a memorial upstairs near the House chambers. There, thousands of flowers decorated a hallway of tables. Interspersed were dog treats, stuffed animals and hundreds of notes from people who told the Hortmans what they meant to Minnesota. One photo left at the memorial shows Hortman behind a lectern with the presidential seal, noting that she was one of a group of state lawmakers invited to Washington by then-president Barack Obama. 'I can't comprehend her being gone, but I'm realizing how much I loved her,' wrote the person who left the photo. 'Remembering your strong leadership for low-income Minnesotans and your dedication to policies so that all people have a home,' one sign said. 'Melissa is our hero,' wrote another. Melissa is the first woman in Minnesota history to lie in state at the Capitol. She joins a long list of Minnesota governing greats – a list her colleagues say she deserves to be on for her accomplishments. Tim Walz, the governor, has called her the 'most consequential House speaker in state history'. One man got to the capitol at 6.30am to wait for the doors to open at noon, he told Minnesota Public Radio. Mike Starr said he once was hosted by the Hortmans at their home and wanted to pay his respects and show thanks for everything Melissa had done for the state. 'She stood up for the people and that she didn't spin the story, she didn't mislead people,' Starr said. 'She let you know who she was. And you know, when she said something, she meant it.' Some came from out of state to say goodbye. Debra Lehrmann, Texas supreme court justice and a friend of the Hortmans, came to the capitol, according to the Star Tribune. 'Melissa is the kind of person you're drawn to,' she told the paper. In the days since her death, her friends and colleagues – and those who didn't personally know her, but felt her impact – have shared what she meant to them. They cited an ability to bring people together and find common ground alongside a whip-smart intellect and a witty sense of humor. Above all, she cared about Minnesota – and Minnesota cared back.
Reuters
9 hours ago
- Politics
- Reuters
Biden joins thousands paying final respects to slain Minnesota lawmaker and husband
ST. PAUL, Minnesota, June 27 (Reuters) - Thousands of mourners, including former U.S. President Joe Biden, filed through Minnesota's state Capitol Rotunda on Friday to pay final respects to slain lawmaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, who were gunned down by an assassin earlier this month. The couple lay in state in St. Paul on the eve of a private funeral set for Saturday morning, two weeks after a man impersonating a police officer shot them to death at their home in what authorities are treating as a politically motivated murder. For several hours, members of the public lined up in a column of mourners stretching across the front plaza of the state Capitol building and along an adjacent boulevard. After entering the building, people walked single-file past the Hortmans' flower-bedecked caskets. A portrait of each stood next to their respective coffins. Perched between them was an urn bearing the remains of their golden retriever, Gilbert, along with a photograph of the pet. The dog, too, was shot in the attack and later euthanized. Biden arrived at the statehouse late in the afternoon. After the public was cleared from the rotunda for security purposes, the Democratic former president was ushered in alone. He paused for a moment in front of the caskets, then exited the building. Following his departure, the rotunda was reopened to the public, and the procession of mourners resumed. Still more people joined the line outside, hoping for a chance to pay their respects. The viewing was scheduled to end at 5 p.m. local time. Representative Hortman, the top-ranking Democrat in the Minnesota House, became the first woman to lie in state in the St. Paul Capitol Rotunda, according to the Minnesota Star Tribune. Her husband was believed to be the first person other than a military figure or public official to be so honored. The suspect in their June 14 killings, Vance Boelter, 57, is also accused of shooting and wounding a second Democratic legislator, state Senator John Hoffman, and his wife, Yvette, in their home a few miles away.' The accused gunman was arrested on the night of June 16 following a massive two-day manhunt that was the largest in state history. Boelter faces state and federal murder charges. According to prosecutors, investigators recovered notebooks from his car and residence that included the names of dozens of Democratic legislators, along with abortion-rights advocates. The shootings unfolded against a backdrop of increasing political violence in the U.S. in an era of extreme social and partisan polarization.
The Guardian
10 hours ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
Killed ex-Minnesota lawmaker Melissa Hortman lies in state alongside husband and dog
Melissa and Mark Hortman, and their dog Gilbert, lay in state in the Minnesota state capitol rotunda on Friday. Their wooden caskets, and Gilbert's golden urn with pawprints on it, were surrounded by trees and ferns, a nod to the greenery Melissa, an avid gardener and advocate for the environment, held dear in her personal life and in her governance. The Hortmans were killed by a politically motivated assassin who posed as a police officer and came to their home, and the homes of other lawmakers, injuring another and his wife. The killings and subsequent manhunt unsettled the state. On Friday, Minnesotans lined up by the hundreds outside and inside the state capitol to pay their respects. One by one, they moved toward the rotunda. Many wiped away tears. Others did the sign of the cross. Some put their hands on their hearts. The mourners included former president Joe Biden. Some brought their children, waiting in line patiently to say goodbye. Many carried flowers – daffodils, daisies, zinnias, roses. Golden retrievers sat outside the doors of the capitol, waiting people to pet them and to comfort those who came to grieve. A second line waited to drop off flowers and other items of remembrance at a memorial upstairs near the House chambers. There, thousands of flowers decorated a hallway of tables. Interspersed were dog treats, stuffed animals and hundreds of notes from people who told the Hortmans what they meant to Minnesota. One photo left at the memorial shows Hortman behind a lectern with the presidential seal, noting that she was one of a group of state lawmakers invited to Washington by then-president Barack Obama. 'I can't comprehend her being gone, but I'm realizing how much I loved her,' wrote the person who left the photo. 'Remembering your strong leadership for low-income Minnesotans and your dedication to policies so that all people have a home,' one sign said. 'Melissa is our hero,' wrote another. Melissa is the first woman in Minnesota history to lie in state at the Capitol. She joins a long list of Minnesota governing greats – a list her colleagues say she deserves to be on for her accomplishments. Tim Walz, the governor, has called her the 'most consequential House speaker in state history'. One man got to the capitol at 6.30am to wait for the doors to open at noon, he told Minnesota Public Radio. Mike Starr said he once was hosted by the Hortmans at their home and wanted to pay his respects and show thanks for everything Melissa had done for the state. 'She stood up for the people and that she didn't spin the story, she didn't mislead people,' Starr said. 'She let you know who she was. And you know, when she said something, she meant it.' Some came from out of state to say goodbye. Debra Lehrmann, Texas supreme court justice and a friend of the Hortmans, came to the capitol, according to the Star Tribune. 'Melissa is the kind of person you're drawn to,' she told the paper. In the days since her death, her friends and colleagues – and those who didn't personally know her, but felt her impact – have shared what she meant to them. They cited an ability to bring people together and find common ground alongside a whip-smart intellect and a witty sense of humor. Above all, she cared about Minnesota – and Minnesota cared back.
Yahoo
11 hours ago
- Health
- Yahoo
She Wanted a Tattoo to Honor Her Late Brother. It Landed Her in the ICU
Quiniece Washburn wanted to honor her late brother after he died of an overdose, as the two were "pretty close" when they were growing up She got a portrait of his face on her leg, "so I knew that he would be with me," but the tattoo became painfully infected, causing her to need treatment in the ICU She's warning others to be careful about the cleanliness of their tattoo shop, as the experience was "traumatizing"A woman who wanted to honor her late brother with a tattoo of his face ended up with a dangerous infection — and a scar where his portrait should be. Quiniece Washburn said she and her brother were 'pretty close' growing up, according to Daily Mail. After her brother died of an overdose, the 36-year-old mom of two shared that she 'wanted to get the tattoo so I knew that he would be with me.' She researched a tattoo artist online and paid $350 for a portrait of her brother on her left calf. But as she told the outlet, she felt a painful, burning sensation while getting inked. When the tattoo artist was finished and wiped the tattoo down — a common practice, as tattoos can ooze blood and ink — Washburn said the tattoo leaked more than what's usually expected. Her tattoo began to form blisters, leaking fluid, she said. 'I could stick a white paper towel on the tattoo and the whole picture would be on it,' she explained. Washburn said it began to cause significant pain. 'When it got worse, I was having to drag my leg to walk, and I was limping. It was a horrible time for me. The pain was traumatizing, and it was upsetting because it was the face of my brother,' she shared. Washburn went to the hospital 10 times for intravenous antibiotics — until her condition grew so severe that she needed to be admitted to the ICU. That's when she was diagnosed with a devastating case of cellulitis. It's a skin infection caused by bacteria that enters the skin through a cut or crack, the Mayo Clinic explains. While there, doctors treated the infection, which she described as 'green infected stuff oozing out of me.' 'The hospital never said it was from dirty products, and I watched [the tattoo artist] unpack my needles, but people say if the [tattoo] gun isn't properly wiped, then that can cause infection,' Washburn, who wonders if 'someone else's fluids may still have been on the gun," explained. Aggressive antibiotic treatment helped clear up the infection, but Washburn said her tribute to her late brother is 'pretty ruined.' 'It has a lot of scar tissue on it and it's cracked. His face doesn't look the same at all, and it's kind of dark. I've been told not to touch it for a year, so I'm going to leave it as it is,' Washburn said. She added that the tattoo artist refunded her money and gave her $200 after learning what had happened. Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. She's sharing her ordeal to warn others. 'I'd tell people to watch your tattoo artist and make sure everything is clean,' Washburn told the outlet, calling the experience, 'traumatizing.' Read the original article on People
