Slain Ottawa teen was eyewitness to another fatal shooting
Shaamini Yogaretnam | CBC News | Posted: December 7, 2021 9:14 PM | Last Updated: December 7, 2021
John Ndayishimiye, 16, ID'd alleged shooter in July 2021 killing
A 16-year-old boy who was the eyewitness to a homicide this summer and ultimately identified the alleged shooter was himself shot dead Monday morning, CBC News has learned.
John Ndayishimiye was fatally shot inside unit B at 2200 Elmira Dr. in Ottawa Community Housing's Pinecrest Terrace development near Cobden Road.
Around 3:16 a.m., Ottawa police responded to multiple 911 calls about the shooting.
Five children were inside the home at the time, according to sources. Police and paramedics found two victims inside with gunshot wounds.
Ndayishimiye, who had been staying at the home, was without any vital signs. Another 16-year-old boy was also injured, but he is expected to survive.
Homicide detectives Monday called the shooting "targeted" and said it was "not a random act." As of Tuesday afternoon, no arrests have been made.
Played football with homicide victim
Ndayishimiye played football with the North Gloucester Giants, and according to multiple sources, it was his account to police that identified the alleged shooter in the July 2021 homicide of teammate Tyson Ndongozi.
The 20-year-old Ndongozi —whose full name was Loris Tyson Ndongozi Nkunzimana — was an up-and-coming football player who'd immigrated from Burundi four years ago with his family.
He'd been recruited to play at a top football program in Quebec shortly before his death, when he was allegedly gunned down while playing pick-up basketball — the unintended target of gunfire that rang out on a summer Sunday evening in Lowertown.
Haybe Farhan Aden, 26, remains wanted on a Canada-wide warrant for second-degree murder and attempted murder for that homicide.
Instagram argument
Five months after Ndongozi's killing, Ndayishimiye would himself be the victim of gunfire.
According to some of Ndayishimiye's friends, in the hours before Monday's shooting, the teen was involved in an apparent confrontation during a livestream on Instagram Live.
Ndayishimiye was hosting the livestream and explaining his musical plans for the future when an argument broke out.
CBC News has seen portions of the recorded livestream but is not publishing it. CBC is also not naming Ndayishimiye's friends because they fear for their safety and because they are younger than 18.
Known as "Jdub," Ndayishimiye rapped on YouTube about "trying to make it out" of the subsidized housing community where he grew up and the challenges that came with it.
"I'm tired of this ghetto," he rapped with a group of other Black youth in the music video for song Pull Up, which was shot in the city's west end.
In the song, he speaks of being sorry for putting his mother through the pain of raising him in a difficult environment. The song also makes reference to guns and drugs.
Police have not yet determined a motive for the double shooting, but continue to investigate. Anyone with information about Ndayishimiye's death or what happened Monday morning can contact the homicide unit at 613-236-1222 ext. 5493.
Ndayishimiye's killing is the city's 16th homicide of 2021.